


Definitely Unexpected

by conventionalweapons (aconventionalweapon)



Series: Growing Up Killjoy [1]
Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Danger Days Era, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-04
Updated: 2016-02-04
Packaged: 2018-05-18 04:08:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 55
Words: 70,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5897665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aconventionalweapon/pseuds/conventionalweapons
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Surviving the firefight against BL/ind is hard enough, now try to do with with an unexpected surprise on its way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Reposting from my old deviantArt account. Probably should rewrite the entire thing since I've improved my writing quite a bit but...eh...already rewriting the sequel to this so don't care enough to go back and redo this too :P

"GHOUL DUCK!" I heard someone shout and I ducked right as a laser shot over my head. I turned and saw him standing there, my love, with his wild red hair framing his face, matted with sweat. I turned my attention back to the fight, it was only practice but it was necessary. Party Poison and I, Fun Ghoul, were on a team against our friends Jet Star and Kobra Kid. We did this almost on a daily basis, practicing for actual fights. I dodged another ray before firing one off myself. 

"Hey! Take it easy out here!" We all paused to turn and look at the owner of the angry voice. Dr. Death Defying sat in his wheel chair in the doorway of the diner. 

"Come on Dr. D its just for fun." I smirked and he rolled his eyes at me. 

"Like you don't have enough fun building bombs in the back Ghoul and now I gotta worry about you guys shooting up the place." He rolled his eyes and we all laughed. I glanced at Party who was now standing right beside me and smiled. He smiled back and there was a familiar glint in his eyes. A grin spread across my face and it grew when he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me in to him. 

"Oh god!" I heard Kobra Kid groan as he quickly hurried inside the house. Jet Star stood there watching before Party spoke up. 

"Hey Jet...can we have a moment?" Jet seemed to snap out of it and he quickly nodded and headed inside after Kobra. 

"How are you Ghoul?" There was a tone of worry in his voice. 

"I'm fine Party. I mean it. I'm okay." He stared into my eyes with a look that said he knew I was lying. 

"Ghoul you have to tell me what's wrong. Yesterday you were sick as a dog and now you claim to be perfectly fine. Please just tell me if you're alright or not." He begged. I reached up and pushed his red locks out of his face and planted a kiss on his lips. 

"I'm fine Party, really, I'm fine." He kissed me back much more forceful than I had been. 

"You know that's going to be my downfall." I whispered and he pulled back a bit. 

"What is?" He questioned. 

"You, your kisses, your looks...everything about you is my downfall." I smirked at him. 

"If I'm your downfall then you are mine. I don't know where I'd be without you Ghoul." He pushed my hair out of my face and stared into my eyes then he pulled my body right up against his chest and I could feel the slight bulge in his pants. I smirked. 

"Someone's a little happy." I teased and he just held me close then turned me around and pushed me towards the old Trans Am sitting off to the side. He opened the driver's door and then pushed the seat forward and had me climb in. He got in after me and pinned me against the back seat. 

"You are all mine Ghoul...I wish these moments could last forever." I nodded in agreement and moaned as I felt his hand slide under the fabric of my shirt and up my stomach. He yanked off my vest followed quickly by my shirt, leaving my chest exposed. He leaned in and kissed my lips passionately and I dug my fingers into his hair. I yanked his jacket and shirt off and ran my fingertips down his chest, he shuddered in pleasure. "Ah god Ghoul do it again." I brushed my fingertips down to his jeans and yanked the belt off and then unbuttoned his pants and yanked them down. He started on my pants and I arched my back so he could pull them down, our members rubbing against each other and causing us to moan in delight. 

"Poison please!" I begged for him to take me and do it quickly. He yanked my boxers down and I pulled his down as well. His eyes stared into mine as he grabbed hold of my throbbing member. I moaned in delight as he began to pump. "G-g-od P-Party..."

"Yeah Ghoul?" 

"F-feels...g-good..." I arched my back into him. He chuckled at me and continued on. After no more than five minutes I was ready. "Party I'm gonna-" Too late. I cummed all over his chest, my back arching up. I flopped back down and lay there, smiling at him. He stroked my face with his hand. "Your turn?" I questioned him. 

"I would love that Ghoul but I do believe some people are waiting for us to finish up." He smirked. 

"They can wait." I pulled him down onto my chest. 

"Ghoul I-" There was a tap on the door of the car. 

"Sorry for uh...interrupting...but we have to get moving before we draw too much attention here." It was Jet. I looked back up at Party and then took my hand and stroked his face. 

"Five more minutes Jet." Party shouted then pressed his lips against mine. I kissed him back forcefully wrapping my arms around his neck, hearing Jet walk away. What started as five minutes turned into half an hour. Party was kissing down my stomach and I was moaning in pleasure. Then I felt weird all of a sudden, my stomach churned. I clasped my mouth shut.

"Party I feel like I'm gonna..." I pushed away from Party and scrambled out of the car, not even thinking about the fact that I was entirely nude. It wasn't anything new really, not like we hadn't had to shower in front of each other, well that is if you call dumping a bucket of semi clean water all over yourself a shower. I bent over and emptied the contents of my stomach all over the ground as soon as my feet hit the dirt. 

"Ghoul! You alright?!" Party came out of the car, his pants back on. I felt him lay his jacket on my back. 

"Yeah I'm fi-" I upchucked more and Party held my hair back. 

"No you're not. Come on Ghoul it's freezing lets get you dressed." I just now noticed that I was shivering and that it was nighttime. I stood up slowly, making sure I was feeling alright before standing up all the way. I turned and buried my face in Party's chest.


	2. Chapter 2

“Sorry Ghoul but you said that last time and now here we are again. He moved and reached into the back seat of the Trans Am and pulled out my boxers and pants. He bent down and held them open. I stepped into the boxers and he pulled them up. We did the same with my pants, his fingers sliding against my skin as he pulled them up, making me shudder. I smirked at him and he smirked back devilishly. I grabbed my shirt and vest out then pulled them on myself. Party stroked my face when I paused to look at him. “What did I do to deserve you Ghoul?” He smiled and I blushed.

“You have me because I love you Party.” I wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled him close and he wrapped his arms around me. 

“I love you too Ghoul.” He whispered in my ear. I nodded, closing my eyes just to breathe in his scent. 

“Well isn’t this a touching scene.” I froze, I new that voice anywhere. Party tensed up and I let go of him, my hand going to my ray gun. I whipped it out and spun around, firing off one shot. The bald man ducked just in time but one of his Dracs wasn’t so lucky. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Jet standing beside me. He smiled then looked down at the ground to my feet, I followed his gaze. 

“I think you left your shoes in the car.” 

“Well that’s embarrassing…” I turned, knowing Jet had my back and ran to the car. I snatched my boots out and yanked them on but when I stood up I felt nauseous again and I turned away from the car just in time to throw up again.

“Ghoul!” I heard Party yell from somewhere. RYB/lasters were firing off in different directions. 

“Looks like someone’s a little sick.” Korse, the bald man leader of the Dracs, spoke up. I turned my head and received a swift kick to the face. I was down and quickly blacked out.

“Ghoul? Ghoul? Please wake up.” I heard Party’s voice somewhere in my head. I longed to see his face. My eyes opened, squinting in the bright light. “Thank god you’re alright.” I turned my head and saw Party’s face above me. I was lying in his lap, his red hair hanging down around his face. I reached up with one hand and placed it on his face. I smiled at him and he moved to kiss me but I felt sick to my stomach suddenly and jumped out of his lap and ran a few feet away before emptying my stomach yet again. 

“See? He’s been like this for a month now.” I heard Party say to someone. I waited a moment before standing up and turning around. Kobra Kid was standing with him. When they were side by side like this it was all too easy to see the resemblance. I knew they were brothers but they would never admit to it because it could be used against them. 

“Ghoul…how do you feel right now?” Kid spoke up. 

“Right this second I feel fine…it’s very sudden and then it’s gone.” I watched as Kobra turned and whispered something into Party’s ear. Party nodded and then stood up. 

“I’ll be right back Ghoul I gotta go talk to Dr. D real quick.” I nodded. 

“Don’t take too long.” I smirked at him and he smiled and headed inside. I turned and observed the landscape. 

[Party’s P.O.V.]

I turned away from Fun Ghoul and headed in to talk to Dr. D., desperately hoping what he had told me a long time ago wasn’t coming true in Ghoul. I stormed into the back room where Dr. D was sitting at his radio. He turned his wheelchair around, his mic was on.

“And speaking of radio active material, an angry mass of it just walked in. This is Dr. DeathDefying, hoping he’ll live to see tomorrow.” He smirked at me but I wasn’t in a good mood. He noticed and quickly shut the mic off. 

“Ghoul is sick.” I announced.

“Alright well is it just a cold or something?” 

“No he’s been sick every morning and sometimes at night for the past month.” I stared right into his eyes.

“You don’t think…”

“I don’t even want to think about that possibility.” I folded my arms and looked out the window. 

“You have to consider that those experiments were real…Ghoul might be proof. I mean we found him right around the time those rumors were spreading around in the zones.” I closed my eyes, knowing full well that it was a good possibility. 

“If…if it is true…what will happen to him D?” I turned to look down at him. He had his own arms crossed, deep in thought. 

“Well I imagine he’ll get very large, moody, and hungry.” He teased. 

“You know what I mean…” 

“I don’t know Poison…I really don’t know. For now let’s just see what happens. I mean you said he’s been like this for a month so far as we know he’s only a month or so along. I do think we should inform Jet and Kid about this though…we could use all the help we can get trying to find out if this is a very real possibility or not.” 

“Fine. I’ll talk to Kobra…you talk to Jet.” He nodded. 

“What about Ghoul?” 

“I’ll have him fill the car with gas and load up a bunch of food. For all we know he’s gonna need as much as he can get.” Dr. D nodded. 

“It’s weird to think that there might be a tiny little person growing inside of him.” I plugged my ears. 

“SORRY CAN’T HEAR YOU!” I walked out of the room. I had thought of that possibility though…that my…child…might very well be growing inside of my boyfriend. I ran my hands through my hair and took a few deep breaths before walking outside to face Ghoul.


	3. Chapter 3

[Ghoul’s P.O.V.] 

“Ugh…gross…” I gagged to myself. I had just thrown up for the third time this morning. I heard footsteps run up behind me and grab my hair and hold it back. I could tell by his touch that it was Party. “I wish this would just end. You think it’s from all that godamn dog food?” 

“Uh…yeah that’s probably it. Hey when you’re feeling all right could you fill the car up with gas and food? We’ll need it for the next trip, as much as we can get.” I felt my stomach lurch again when he mentioned the food and I doubled back over and puked again. I nearly cried this time because I was so sick of this. I mean come on it’s been a month! “You okay?” 

“No…this sucks.” I groaned, staying bent over for a few more minutes before standing up straight. 

“I’m sorry Ghoul…it’s my fault.” I heard sadness in his voice. I turned to face him. 

“This isn’t your fault Party.” I smirked tucking his hair behind his ear on one side. “It’s just from this damn food, but it’s all we have to eat so it’s alright.” I wrapped my arms around his waist and he hesitated before lightly wrapping his around me, not squeezing in the slightest. “What do I smell or something?” I let him go and took a step back. 

“No…why?” 

“Party I’ve never known you to be the gentle type so what’s with the light hug all of a sudden.” I smirked and folded my arms, pretending to be angry. He rolled his eyes at me. 

“I don’t know…guess you’re making me soft.” He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in tight. 

“Much better.” I sighed into his chest. We stood there for a moment before someone cleared their throat. We looked up and to the source. Kobra was leaning in the doorway. 

“Uh…Dr. D said you wanted to see me.” I looked to Party and he nodded at Kobra. 

“Yeah we need to talk about a few things before we go on this long drive of ours.” Kobra nodded and Party looked down at me. I wanted to know what they were going to talk about because we never kept secrets but I figured it was a brother issue. 

“I’ll start packing the car.” I smiled up at Party then moved to walk off but he grabbed my arm. I stopped and turned to look at him. 

“Take it easy lifting things…you know…just don’t want you to throw up again or anything…” I nodded slowly. He released my arm and I headed inside to the diner’s kitchen area. I grabbed an old cart, that we had used multiple times to load up the car, and started lifting a couple of boxes of canned Power Pup onto the cart. I kicked a few empty boxes out of the way. I went into the bathroom to grab the empty water jugs we had found a while back and hid in the ceiling here. I paused as I passed by the first stall though. I smiled widely. This is where Party told me he loved me for the first time. 

_“Ghoul…I…I don’t know how to tell you this…but…” I could tell he was nervous beyond belief, which was strange for Party…he was normally so collected._

_“Spit it out Party…you’re scaring me.”_

_“Ghoul…I think, no…I know…I love you.” My heart dropped. I had been waiting for him to utter those words for a year now and now that I had heard them its almost like they weren’t real._

_“Party…I-“_

_“I know it’s stupid…forget I even said it.” He turned to walk out of the bathroom. I grabbed his arm and spun him around right up against me. I stood up on my toes and pressed my lips against his, tangling my hands in his fiery red hair. He stood there frozen against me and I released the kiss…I took a step back to look at him and he had a shocked expression on his face. We stood there for a moment before his eyes refocused and a smirk spread across his face. He closed the small space between us and wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in tight to him. I looked up at him and he smashed his lips against mine. I pulled my head back for a moment._

_“I love you too Party.” I breathed out before returning to kissing him. It escalated when he pushed me up against the door to the first stall. His hands went to my hips, resting there. I wrapped my arms around his neck. I felt his hands slide upwards, dragging my shirt up along with them. I raised my arms up and he slid my shirt off over my head. He dropped it to the floor and his hands returned to their place on my now exposed hips. I slid my hands down his back and lifted his shirt off as well. We pressed up against each other as much as we could and I could now feel the growing bulge in his pants. I smirked and grabbed hold of it through his jeans. He moaned out in pleasure._

_“I like where your mind is at Ghoul, but I’m one step ahead of you.” I felt my pants slid to the floor, not even knowing when he undid my belt in the first place. He reached over and locked the bathroom door then he forced me down on to the ground. He slid my boxers off and grabbed hold of my member. I moaned out in complete ecstasy. I slid his boxers off and he kicked them off of his ankles. He was on his hand and knees, one hand pumping me, over me. I could feel myself building up quickly, I was already horny for about an hour and a half before this, now he was just fueling the fire._

_“PARTY! AGH!” I shouted out as I cummed all over his chest. My back arched up in the air. I flopped back flat on the ground and stared up at him. I brought my hand to his face and stroked his cheek. He leaned in and pressed his lips to mine._

_“PARTY! GHOUL! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN THERE!?” Kobra Kid shouted and banged on the bathroom door._

_“Mmm…nothing Kid…” Party said between kisses._

_“BULLSHIT I CAN HEAR YOU!” He banged again. Party smiled at me then jumped up off of me and walked over to the sink and turned on the water. I was surprised this place even still had water. He splashed his chest with water, washing the cum from his chest. He glanced over at me as I stood up off the ground, my hair falling in front of my eyes. He walked back over to me and brushed my hair lightly out of my face._

_“I love you Ghoul…we’ll finish this later.” He smirked then proceeded to get dressed. I followed suit and we both walked out of the bathroom._

Oh did we finish it later. We’ve been together since 2012 now. I smirked then moved to the last stall in the row and opened the door. I shut the toilet lid and stood up on it. I used the tips of my fingers to move the ceiling panel aside. Once I did I grabbed hold of the tip of a plastic bag and pulled it. The bag fell out and almost hit me in the head but I dodged it just in time. I jumped down off the toilet and walked out of the bathroom with the bag full of water jugs. I headed outside to the pump and began to fill them with water.


	4. Chapter 4

[Party’s P.O.V.]

“Poison what’s wrong?” I was pacing back and forth in front of my brother. 

“Kid…Mikey…I don’t know how to say this. I can’t even believe I have to say this.” 

“Gerard please calm down and just tell me what’s wrong!” I looked at Mikey. 

“Mikey, a while back when we first found Ghoul, Dr. D told me about a rumor that was spreading around. It was about these sick tests that BL/ind were performing on human beings. Specifically male human beings. Well, there was one test in particular that was particularly disturbing…” I kept on pacing. 

“GEE JUST SIT STILL! YOUR PACING IS FREAKING ME OUT!” Mikey exploded. I turned to him and nodded then sat down on a pile of tarps and torn up booth cushions. “Now…what was the test?” 

“They were…making males able to become pregnant.” Mikey’s jaw dropped. “And we found Ghoul wandering around half crazed, in a hospital gown outside the city in the same week.” Mikey looked like he was mulling it over. “Mikey, Dr. D and I believe that Ghoul could be…well…pregnant.” Mikey’s head snapped up to stare me in the eyes. 

“That can’t be possible.” 

“I know Mikey…I said the same thing but think about it. Ghoul has really only been sick in the mornings except for a few times at night for the past month…the last time we uh…went that far was a month ago.” I admitted to Mikey. He groaned. 

“Unnecessary information Gerard.” 

“Sorry Mikey, but it’s true…I think…I think Ghoul might actually be carrying my child.” Mikey stared at me in the eyes and then a smile broke out across his face. “What?” 

“Nothing…I’m gonna be an uncle.” He smiled. I rolled my eyes at him. “Gee think about it. We thought we were never going to have families because of BL/ind, but now look. You might actually be having a child with Ghoul! Do you know how lucky you are? You’re going to be a dad! Just like you always wanted!” I stared at Mikey, thinking about what he was saying. A smile broke out across my own face.

“You’re right Mikey…damn…I’m gonna be a father!” I had tears form in my eyes from happiness. Mikey walked over to me and hugged me tightly. In the midst of our hugging I heard a faint knock at the door. 

“Party? You guys ready to go yet?” Ghoul’s sweet voice emanated from the other side of the door. I ran over to the door and swung it open, his fist in the air mid-knock. He stared up at me and I couldn’t help but throw my arms around his waist and pull him close, wanting to feel his stomach against mine. I wanted to make sure this was real before I told him anything but for now I wanted to believe my child was inside of him. “Heh alrighty then. I can already tell that this is going to be one interesting drive.” He smirked, wrapping his arms around me. God I loved his little smirk. I pressed my lips against his and right as the kissing had increased slightly I heard Mikey clear his throat. 

“God…I would say get a room but we all share one car.” He groaned then pushed past us and headed outside. 

“Why are you smiling like that?” I heard Ghoul and looked down at him. 

“Like what?”

“Like you’ve just won the million dollar raffle and everything you’ve ever wanted is going to come true.” Frank smiled at me. He didn’t know how right he was, well cept about the raffle. 

“Maybe because everything I have ever wanted is standing right in front of me and he’s the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.” Ghoul’s cheeks turned a brilliant red. He kissed me and then took a step back and with a smirk he sauntered out of the room and outside. 

[Ghoul’s P.O.V.] 

“Ugh…” I groaned for the sixteenth time in five minutes. The car was bumping along the dirt road, churning up my stomach. I never got carsick so I was worried that it might not be the dog food messing with me. Maybe I had another sickness or it could just be a whole bunch of dirt getting in my system each day and it’s finally made me sick. 

“You need me to pull over?” Party said again from the driver’s seat. I was in the back with Jet and Kid was up front. 

“Not yet but you might have to eventually.” Jet was leaning on his door as far away from me as possible. “Hah you afraid I’m gonna throw up all over you Jet?” I smirked and faked a gag. 

“That’s not funny Ghoul!” Jet growled then punched me in the arm. I chuckled and looked out the side of the car, trying to keep my mind off of throwing up. It didn’t work. In a matter of moments I was half leaning out of the moving vehicle and throwing up. Party slowly stopped the car, trying not to lurch me anymore than I already had been. I heard him jump out of the car and saw him approach the open area where I was leaning out. 

“Ghoul are you alright? I mean…I think we should take you back to Dr. D’s and have you stay there while we go check Zone 5.” I looked up at him. 

“Party…I don’t want to be left alone with D. I wanna be with you…guys.” He smiled at me.

“I know babe but it’s only for a little while. I promise we’ll come back for you, just until you feel better. I don’t want you getting hurt cause you keep throwing up.” He called me babe. I smirked at him and then I looked down at the dirt, wishing I hadn’t cause I looked right at my own puke and almost upchucked again. A single tear rolled down my cheek and I quickly wiped it away. “Ghoul…come on now don’t do that.” I never cried…what the hell is wrong with me?

“Fine…take me back.” I sat back in the car and leaned my head against the side of the door.


	5. Chapter 5

Party climbed into the car and turned it around. We were only twenty minutes out and it wasn’t like we had to be anywhere at a specific time. I folded my arms and looked out the window. Stupid sickness…I don’t want to stay with Dr. D, man is kinda creepy sometimes. Plus, I wanted to be out there helping, not curling up and hiding just cause I was a little sick. 

“Stop pouting Ghoul.” Party spoke up and I glared at him and he just smirked. His eyes flicked down to where my arms were folded across my stomach and then he smiled and turned back to the road. The fuck was that for? I turned to Jet and he was staring there too. 

“What are you guys looking at?” I said frustrated and Jet quickly looked away. I could see Party smirk as he looked at the road. We drove for another fifteen minutes before pulling back up in front of the diner. Kid climbed out of the passenger seat and I climbed out and stormed off into the diner without looking at Party. I heard two car doors shut though so I knew he probably was coming in after me. I stomped into Dr. D’s room and he spun his wheel chair around, holding up a ray gun. I glared at him and he relaxed.

“I thought you left?” He put the gun down on the counter.

“Party made me come back because I was ‘too sick’” I snarled.

“Because you are Ghoul. You’ve been throwing up everyday for the past month.” I didn’t turn to look at Party. I heard him walk up behind me then his arms slid around my stomach and held me close. I kept my arms folded though, trying to stay angry at him. “Come on Ghoul…please turn around. I wont see you for at least two weeks so I could really use something to encourage me.” I rolled my eyes and turned around to face him. I looked up at his eyes and saw the smile on his face. I melted right then.

“DAMNIT!” I said frustrated then stood on my toes and kissed his lips. He kissed back and I wrapped my arms around his neck. 

“Alright this is my cue to leave the room.” D said before wheeling past us and shutting the door behind himself. We made out for a good five minutes before pulling away. 

“I wish I could stay here with you Ghoul…” Party said as he placed a hand on my face. 

“I wish you could too Gee.” I felt his body tense up and he looked straight into my eyes.

“How’d…where did you hear that?” He searched my eyes for answers. I smirked. 

“When I went to get you and your BROTHER so we could go, I heard him call you Gerard and you called him Mikey. I’m assuming those are your real names?” He hesitated then closed his eyes and nodded. 

“But how did you know we were brothers?”

“Oh please Jet and I have known that for a long time. Kinda hard not to notice that when you stand side by side.” He just stared at me and then relaxed and smiled. 

“Alright it’s only fair…you know my name now tell me yours.” I smirked. 

“Fine…it’s Frank.” Gee smiled and kissed me again. 

“I like that name.” He smiled. 

“Gerard is a pretty sweet name. It’s different and I like the sound of it.” He rolled his eyes at me. 

“Well we should still use our fake names…just for safety when we are out and about.” I nodded, such a careful leader. “I have to go babe. I can’t wait to see you when I get back.” He kissed my forehead and then walked out of the room. I stood there till I heard the engine start then I ran to the front door and watched as the Trans Am sped off down the road. 

“Please be safe Gee.” 

[Party’s P.O.V.]

“I can’t wait to see him when we get back.” I said to Jet and Kobra.

“You didn’t tell him we’d be gone for almost five months did you?” Kobra spoke up, already knowing the answer. 

“No…if I had he would never have stayed there.” I sighed. 

“You know he’ll be almost six months when we get back…he will definitely be showing.” Jet said as he looked out the window. 

“I know. I can’t wait.” I smirked, thinking about how Frankie would look then. “Let’s just get this done as quickly as possible.” They nodded and I hit the gas. We were most definitely ready to kill them all. All the Dracs out in the zones were about to be hit by a desert storm. We had gathered hundreds of Killjoys and sent them to special points where they would hide until we showed up. One by one we would take out the factories that manufactured the pills. I hoped that we would all live to tell the tale…or that I would live to see Frankie again. I sighed then sped down the road towards our first stop.


	6. Chapter 6

[Ghoul's P.O.V.] 

Damn…its only been a week since Party left and I cant take it anymore! I'm going insane listening to Dr. D ramble on about how he used to be a top radio announcer back in the day. 

"D for the billionth time…STOP REPEATING YOURSELF! YOU'RE DRIVING ME INSANE!"

"Sorry Ghoul…not much else to talk about out here. Haven't heard from Poison since they left, I hope they're alright." He stared at the floor. My heart started to ache. Normally Poison would use our special radio frequency to report back but we hadn't heard a thing. My stomach lurched and I ran out of the room and leaned out a broken window just in time. 

"AAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHH!!!!" I screamed in frustration. I moved away from the window towards the bathroom.

"GHOUL WHAT'S WRONG!?" Dr. D came wheeling out of his room as I walked past. 

"WELL WHAT DO YOU FUCKING THINK IS WRONG HUH!? I CAN'T STOP THROWING UP EVERDAY AND IT'S PISSING ME OFF AND TO TOP IT ALL OFF MY BOYFRIEND IS OFF GOD KNOW'S WHERE POSSIBLY NOT EVEN ALIVE ANYMORE AND I WOULDN'T EVEN FUCKING KNOW! I'M SICK OF THIS! I SHOULD BE WITH THEM!" I screamed at him. He just stared at me shocked, then he smirked slightly and just shrugged it off. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SO SMUG ABOUT!? UGH!!!!!" I groaned and trudged off to the bathroom. 

[Party's P.O.V.]

"KID WATCH IT!" I shouted and Kid ducked just in time to avoid being hit by a ray from behind. I shot the Drac that had dared aim at my brother and then turned to help the other Killjoys that had been in this area. Two dead…two alive. I paused next to one of the dead one's…her face twisted in anguish. I kneeled down and brushed my fingers over her eyelids, closing them forever. I stood up and shot off five shots at five different Dracs, all of them going down. I had one thing…well two things…on my mind that were helping me get through this. Frankie and our baby. So long as I kept them at the forefront of my mind I felt invincible. 

"So Poison…how's Ghoul doing?" I heard the familiar gruff voice behind me and then felt the tip of a ray gun pushed up against the back of my head. They way he said it insinuated that he new something. 

"I dunno Korse…maybe you do?" I growled at him. 

"Heh…maybe I do. Keep running Poison…" He whispered then I felt the gun disappear and I quickly whipped around but he was lost in the night.

"What the hell just happened? He just let you go." Jet walked up to me, breathing heavily. 

"I dunno Jet, but I have a feeling that BL/ind is definitely behind what's happening to Ghoul." I stared into the darkness then turned and went to help out the injured. 

[Ghoul's P.O.V.] 

"Look alive sunshine." I heard Dr. D from somewhere nearby. I slowly opened my eyes and squinted as the sun beat down through the open windows of the diner. 

"Ugh...why are you waking me up?" 

"Because Mr. Moody…Poison's on the radio." I shot up off the booth and scrambled to the radio in the back room. I turned up the volume and unplugged the headphones. I hit the button for the mic. 

"PARTY!?" I shouted into the mic, broadcasting that message across our frequency. 

"Haha hey Ghoul." I heard him reply, a smile breaking out across my face. 

"'HEY GHOUL!?' REALLY!? WE HAVENT HEARD FROM YOU IN A WEEK AND ALL YOU SAY IS 'HEY GHOUL!'" I screamed into the mic. 

"Sorry we haven't had time to stop and broadcast…we're all alive thanks for asking." He teased. 

"Thank god…you were driving me insane!" I kept smiling and rested my chin on my palm.

"Shut down the universal frequency so it's just us." Party said through the radio and I turned and Dr. D was behind me. He smirked then hit a button on the receiver. 

"Okay we're good." I said through the mic, waiting eagerly for his reply. 

"How are you feeling Ghoul? Still sick?" He said worriedly. 

"Ugh…yeah. I just wish it would go away already so I can get out there and help you guys. When are you headin back here?" 

"Uh yeah…about that. Listen Ghoul, we aren't coming back…at least not for another five months…" My heart practically stopped.

"Wait wha…what do you mean Party?" 

"I'm sorry Ghoul I couldn't tell you I-"

"Lied to me? You didn't want me to come for another reason…not just because I'm sick…do…do you not want me around anymore?" My heart felt like it sunk all the way into the pit of my stomach when the other line was silent. 

"Ghoul…I didn't want you here for a reason…it's…we-" 

"You guys are just sick of having to take care of me aren't you…I've been sick for so long you think I'm not worth it anymore." I snapped. 

"GHOUL THAT'S NOT IT AT ALL!" He shouted back. 

"Uh huh sure…then why couldn't I go Party? Huh? Tell me." There was no reply for a few moments. "That's what I thought." 

"Ghoul, shut up. Poison didn't want you to come because we might die on this mission." Kid's voice rang out over the frequency. I was silent. Party was trying to keep me out of harm's way…he didn't want me to go because he didn't want me to die.

"Party? Is that true?" 

"Yeah…I couldn't stand it if I lost you Ghoul…I just, I just couldn't let you go." I could hear the sadness in his voice. 

"Oh Party…you IDIOT! If you were here I'd have words with you." I teased, I knew he'd get the message. 

"I miss you Ghoul…"

"I miss you too Party…please be safe, come back alive please." I smirked as I spoke into the mic. 

"Wipe that smirk off your face Ghoul. I'll try." I chuckled, he knew me too well. "You be safe Ghoul. Please, please be safe." He begged. 

"I will Party. Love you." My heart started pounding. I missed him so godamn much. 

"Love you too Ghoul, we'll try and get back to you sooner. Goodbye my love." 

"Goodbye Party." I turned off the mic and leaned back in the chair. My heart was aching now that I wasn't talking to him anymore. Please be safe Gee.


	7. Chapter 7

2 months without Party... 

"Godamnit! Where the hell is he?" I said wiping my face off with my bandana for the fiftieth time. I had walked out to the main road from the diner and was now standing here waiting for Show Pony to show up. Dr. D had called him in through the frequency to come and keep me company so that I wouldn't go absolutely insane. I looked up and down the road, feeling all too vulnerable just standing here alone. I noticed a large rock a little to my left and headed over to it. I took my gun holster off and laid it on the rock, my vest and shirt followed suit. I stood there wiping my face off completely shirtless in the blistering heat. I watched the road carefully in both directions, full well knowing that Dracs used it to get around a lot. I sat down on the rock and then laid down across it. My left hand cradling my head and my right resting on my stomach. I looked down at myself, my body littered with tattoos. I couldn't even remember what they meant to me before all this...now they only reminded me of a life I couldnt remember. I laid there on the rock and started tapping my fingers on my stomach. I winced when I tapped my lower abdomen. I shot up and stared at the spot then tenderly pressed against it again and again I winced. It felt stiff not soft as it should be. I ran my fingers over it and felt a tiny bump. "The hell?" 

"Whats wrong Ghoulie?" I jumped and looked up to see Show Pony standing there. I scowled then. 

"Don't call me that." I got off the rock and grabbed my shirt, I moved to put it on but I felt a hand go against my abdomen. I looked down where Show Pony's hand was resting against my stomach. "Excuse me." I growled. Pony looked up and smiled. 

"So Dr. D wasn't lying..." He smiled at me then turned and headed towards the diner. He'd been the fifth person to look at my stomach not my face. 

"Wait! About what!?" I shouted after him, grabbing my vest and gun as I ran after him. 

"Nothing!" He shouted from up ahead. 

"Pony! Come on!" I shouted. 

"Never!" He flew into the diner and I ran after him. I caught up to him in the radio room where Dr. D was just finishing a broadcast. He turned his wheelchair around. 

"Pony! How are yah! Long time no see!" Pony leaned in and hugged Dr. D. 

"Hey D. Thanks for calling me in. I was getting bored hiding out in Battery City." I stared at Pony. 

"Why in god's name were you in Battery City?" I growled. I didn't know whether to trust him or not...they could have drugged him up for all I know. 

"Getting supplies for D here. He asked me to gather some equipment and food." He glanced down at my stomach and then smiled. 

"Why does everyone keep looking at my stomach? It's fucking irritating." D and Pony chuckled. "AGH!" I snapped then stormed out of the room. I walked into the diner where Pony had dropped his duffel bag. I opened it up and dug through it. He had a monitor and a weird looking probe thing in there. He also had tons and tons of legit food. Cans of soup and loaves of bread and cereal and a whole bunch of shit. I dug through and my hand wrapped around a smaller can and I yanked it out. "SODA!" I shouted out. This place had run out of soda years ago. 

"Hah thought you'd find that first." Pony rolled into the room, removing his helmet. 

[Party's P.O.V.] 

"I CANT TAKE IT ANYMORE!" I shouted out into the night. 

"Poison come on...calm down." Jet spoke up. 

"HOW CAN I CALM DOWN?! I HAVEN'T HEARD FROM D OR GHOUL IN TWO MONTHS AND IT'S DRIVING ME NUTS! I MEAN WHAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENED AND WE JUST DON'T KNOW ABOUT IT AND GAH!!!" I paced around the campfire. Honestly it felt good to scream. Kid just watched me, he hadn't said a word for almost a week. He was always sad looking and whenever I talked about Ghoul or the baby he'd walk off. "AND YOU! KID! WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR DEAL HUH?" I kicked some dirt in his direction. He just stood up and brushed his pants off. 

"Poison stop it, you're over reacting." He whispered. 

"Am I?! Well at least I'm not sulking like you! What's up with that!?" He just shrugged and turned to walk away. I ran up to him and grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. He had tears going down his face. "Mikey...what's wrong?" I said quietly. 

"You don't get it Gee...every time you talk about Ghoul and the kid...I...I envy you. I just wish that...I just wish I had someone for me like you have Ghoul." I pulled him into a hug. 

"Mikey you just haven't found the right person yet...I promise you will find someone." I felt him nod into my shoulder. We never broke down like this...it showed weakness. 

"So your name is Mikey and yours is-" Jet spoke up. 

"Gerard." I said before he called me by my nickname. 

"Cool. Mines Ray." Mikey and I stopped hugging and turned to smile at him. "And I know I'm right but I figured I might as well ask...you're brothers right?" I nodded at Ray. "Lucky...I don't have any siblings..well at least that I know of." He shrugged. "Hey I have an idea. Those girls, the three we helped earlier...they said they were heading out to Zone 1 tomorrow...why don't we ask them to check on Ghoul? And I saw Kid eyeing one of em." Jet smirked, I was glad he didn't use his real name. 

"That sounds like a good idea. What were their names? Crash Exploder..." 

"Atomic Hydrogen...and" Jet added. 

"Mafia Hitman." Kid said with a hint of adoration in his voice. 

"Your right Jet. Kid has a crush." I laughed. 

"You guys are so childish!" He punched me in the arm as hard as he could then stalked off to the car. 

"Hey where yah going!?" I shouted after him. 

"I'm gonna get the girls and drive them up to the diner!" 

"Wait! I thought you were just gonna ask them to go there?" 

"Might as well drive them! It's faster!" 

"Wait then we're coming!" I rushed over to the car and jumped in. "If you're going to the diner then I am too I have to see Ghoul." Jet climbed in as well. 

"Well how are they supposed to get in the car with us?" Kid questioned. 

"Won't be a problem! Mafia can just sit on your lap." Jet laughed and Kid blushed a deep shade of red. 

"Sounds good." Kid smirked. He hit the gas and we sped down the dirt road.


	8. Chapter 8

[Ghoul's P.O.V.]

"Sooooooo good!" I rolled my eyes back in my head as I sipped the soda. 

"You're ridiculous." Pony replied from his place one the counter. 

"I haven't had a soda for years! This place ran dry so quickly because of us…GOD ITS SO GOOD!" I sipped it so slowly so I could make it last for a while longer. Pony rolled his eyes and went back to cleaning his rollerblades. 

"GHOUL GET IN HERE!" I heard D shout from the radio room. I got up and waltzed through the diner and into the room. 

"What's up?" 

"Listen! It's Poison." 

"Ghoul you there?" I heard his sweet voice emanate from the radio. 

"Yeah! I'm here babe! What's up?" 

"I have some good news and some bad news. Good news is we're coming back! Bad news is…it's only for a day." My heart started pounding uncontrollably. Party was coming back! 

"When?!" I shouted excitedly. 

"We're already driving…we going to have some guests with us that are going to hang out with you while we're gone, they need to rest after the hell we just went through." I ignored everything he just said. HE'S COMING HOME! I smiled widely, tears already flowing down my cheeks. 

"I can't wait to see you…" I choked out. 

"I can't wait to see you baby. I love you…we're picking up our friends now. We'll see you in a few hours." 

"Okay can't wait." The frequency turned to static and I shut the mic off. 

[Kid's P.O.V.] 

I took a deep breath. I was nervous…actually nervous to see her again. I took another deep breath. 

"Calm down Kid…you might just pass out and not actually see her." Jet teased. I climbed out of the car and headed towards the small shack where they hid. I knocked on the door before pushing it open. I was met by a gun. 

"That's not such a smart idea." Poison said behind me and the gun immediately lowered. The girl wearing the black, red, and white striped jacket stepped out. She smirked. 

"Shoulda known it was you guys…man the fight was what…three hours ago? You're already knocking on our door again." 

"Yeah well…we need your help Crash." So she's Crash Exploder. Shows how observant I was…well my mind was on one person. I scanned the room and caught sight of her. She was drawing on a notepad. I walked up to her casually and turned to see what she was drawing. It was a whole bunch of anime characters, including drawings of us…and one particularly large one of me. She blushed then shoved the notebook in her pocket and stood up. 

"Hey…" She said shyly. 

"Uh…hey…" I blushed. "How are you guys?" 

"Fine since the last time we saw you…" She smiled. I stared her in the eyes, chocolate brown and unfortunately were partially hidden behind her glasses. A red bandana covered her nose and mouth, hiding her facial features from me. I wanted to pull the bandana from her face just so I could see what she really looked like. Blood red strands of hair fell in her face, turning black as they neared the top of her head. "Sorry what was your name?" She asked nervously. 

"Uh…um…Kid…Kobra…ugh…Kobra Kid." I mentally scolded myself for sounding like an idiot but she smiled. 

"I'm-"

"Mafia Hitman…uh…I uh heard you say your name earlier." She looked confused but was smiling. 

"I don't think I said my name bef-" 

"Of course you did uh…sorry…just a little…" 

"Nervous…me…too." We both smiled at the same time. 

"Okay lovebirds can we go anytime soon?" Poison strode up to us. 

"WHAT? NO! WE ARENT-" We both said at the same time.

"Ah just forget it and get in the car so we can go!" He smirked at me and I made a mental note to hit him later. I smiled at Mafia and then we both walked towards the car.


	9. Chapter 9

[Kid's P.O.V.]

It was very awkward and quiet in the back seat of the car. Jet and Poison were sitting up front and I was in the back with the three girls. Mafia was sitting on my lap due to a severe lack of room in the crowded back seat. I kept my face turned to look out the window to hide the fact that I was blushing. Mafia kept twiddling her thumbs, clearly just as nervous as I was. Atomic was in the middle seat and Crash was standing up so that half her body was out the top of the car. She ducked back in. 

"So Poison how far are we from the diner now?" She hadn't removed her glasses since we met her, I think she forgot she even had them on. 

"Not too far." He smiled widely. I knew as soon as we saw the diner he'd probably jump out of the car and run inside as fast as he could. I wondered if Ghoul looked any different. "Uh so you know we want you to keep Ghoul company but…you need to know the real reason why. We need you to protect him for a while. He's kinda…fragile right now." I knew Poison was avoiding telling them cause they were still strangers for the most part. I looked at Mafia and smiled. I trust her. 

"Poison just spit it out!" I told him. 

"Okay…Ghoul is kinda…um…well…pregnant…" He trailed off. I looked at the girls and they were all extremely shocked and confused. 

"No way!" Atomic blurted out.

"Yeah don't you know it's kinda well…impossible!" Crash added. Mafia didn't say a word. 

"Yeah trust me it was a shock to me too. A while back D and I heard a rumor about a test that BL/ind was doing on men to well make them able to carry a child. We didn't believe it at first. We found Ghoul wondering around half crazy outside of Battery City in a hospital gown. We've been together pretty much since then and well…you know how we got to this stage but it's true. Least I hope it is. He's showing all the signs. When we see him I'll find out for sure. Oh and one more thing…he doesn't know he's pregnant or that we think he is and I don't want him to until he starts showing…" I could see the desperate hope in my brother's eyes. I hoped it was true too. If anyone needed this it was Gee, he deserves a family after the hell he's been through. 

[Ghoul's P.O.V.]

"HAHA YES!" I shouted out. I hadn't thrown up in over a day.

"What are you so giddy about?" Pony came in.

"The fact that I haven't spilled my guts in over a day is something to be 'giddy' about." Instead of smiling for me, Pony's face dropped. "What?"

"You're not sick anymore?" I sensed worry in his voice.

"Well I don't know about that but…Pony, I think I have cancer…" Pony dropped the helmet in his hands. 

"Why do you think that?" He moved over to me and sat down on the bench next to me. 

"I have this weird lump in my stomach, it hasn't gone away either and I don't know how long its been there." Pony's face lit up and a smirk spread over his face. 

"Show me." He said. I nodded and lifted my shirt to expose my abdomen. "It looks fine Ghoul." 

"I know it looks like nothing's there but there is! I can feel it when I run my hand over it!" I grabbed Pony's hand and placed it where the lump was. I winced slightly as I pressed his hand against it. Pony's eyes went wide.

"Uh yeah…there's definitely something there." He gulped then got up, looked at me, then rushed off to the radio room. 

"Oookkkaaayyy…" Wonder what that was all about. I let my shirt fall back in place then got up and went over to the duffel bag and dug out a can of soup. "So hungry!" I pulled the tab on the lid and opened the can, then grabbed a plastic spoon off the counter where it had sat and collected dust. I wiped it off on my shirt then began eating. 

[Pony's P.O.V.]

"D!" I swerved into the room and stopped behind Dr. D. He turned his wheelchair around. 

"What's the matter Pony?"

"NOTHING! IT'S GREAT!" I squealed in excitement. 

"What's great?"

"I basically just got confirmation that Ghoul is in fact pregnant!" I said trying to catch my breath. 

"What? From who?" D rolled up closer to me.

"Well I'm assuming Party was the one who got him-" 

"NO! Who told you?"

"Oh! Ghoul, well he didn't really say it he kinda showed me. He was talking about some lump in his stomach then he put my hand on it and I could feel it and- IT'S REAL!" I said happily. Dr. D's face lit up and he smiled widely.

"This is wonderful!" He said happily.


	10. Chapter 10

[Ghoul's P.O.V.]

I sat there staring out the window, my hand massaging my aching abdomen. Least I'll see Poison before I die. Wonder what kind of cancer I have…I mulled it over but then I just shrugged it off and prepared to take a nap. I closed my eyes but then I heard the crunch of a car's tires on dirt. My eyes shot open and I sat up. I pulled the blinds down and looked out. A very familiar Trans Am pulled up and slammed to a halt. I jumped out of my seat and ran out the front door towards the familiar red head getting out of the car. He smiled when he saw me running towards him. I jumped on him and luckily he held up. I wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck, hugging him tight. 

"Party…" I cried into his shoulder.

"Ghoul…god I missed you." He choked out. His arms held me tightly around my waist. I pulled my head back to look him in the eyes. I took my right hand and brushed the strands of red out of his beautiful face. I smirked then kissed him passionately and he returned with just as much if not more force. 

"Ehem…" Someone cleared their throat. Party pulled away and smiled. 

"As much as I love this Ghoul, my arms are tired." I pulled back and smirked then kissed him again before unwrapping my legs and sliding to the ground. I turned to Jet and Kid and hugged each of them. 

"Missed you guys." I said. 

"We missed you too Ghoul…wasn't very entertaining without our tagalong comedian." Jet chuckled. 

"What are you talking about? 'Tagalong' psh! I'm a better fighter than all of you combined!" I crossed my arms. 

"Whatever you say shorty." Jet laughed and started to walk away. 

"SHORTY? HEY WHO YOU CALLING SHORT?! GET BACK HERE!" I was about to run after him but a hand stopped me and I looked at Party. 

"There's some people you need to meet before you kill Jet." He smiled and I turned and finally noticed the three girls behind Kid. "That's Atomic Hydrogen…" He motioned to the girl sitting on the hood of the car. "That's Crash Exploder…" He pointed at the girl who was presently digging through the trunk of the car. "And that's-" 

"Mafia Hitman." Kid spoke up and then realized that he had just blurted that out. The girl standing closest to him blushed and brushed red tipped locks out of her face. Kid blushed almost simultaneously. Party nudged my arm and I looked at him and he nodded his head at the two and smirked. 

"Aww that's so cute! Kid's got a cr-" Kid ran up and slapped a hand across my mouth. I just smirked and pretended to zip my mouth shut. He removed his hand. "KID HAS A CRUSH ON MAFIA!" I shouted then turned and high tailed it. A ray flew past me. I turned my head to Kid chasing after me. 

"Kid stop it! Don't shoot at him!" Party shouted. Kid kept running after me laughing, I was laughing too. We knew it was all in good fun. I started to turn the corner and a ray flew right in front of my abdomen and luckily missed by a hair. "KID GODAMNIT! THAT WAS TOO CLOSE!" Kid froze and it looked like he just remembered that he forgot something important. Party ran towards me. "You alright babe?" 

"Yeah fine what's the matter? We're just messing around." 

"Yeah well that was a bit too close to hitting the…your stomach." I stared at him in confusion for a moment then shrugged it off and walked hand in hand with him back into the diner.


	11. Chapter 11

Gee and I walked through the diner towards Dr. D's room. He pushed the door open and we walked in. 

"Hey Ghoul can you give me a hand with this radio, there's a loose wire somewhere." Party squeezed my hand and put his finger to his lips. He walked out to Dr. D's side and leaned down and started fiddling with the wires. I watched the screen on the radio until it finally flicked back on. "Right there! Thanks Gh-Poison?" Party stood up and smiled at D. "You're back!" 

"Yeah we're back for a day then we gotta get back on the road." I watched as D then motioned for Party to lean down and he whispered something in his ear. I watched Party's eyes go wide and he stood up straight and his eyes flicked to my abdomen. Great, Pony probably told D about my cancer and now Party knows and he's gonna freak out. Arms wrapped tightly around me all of a sudden. I looked up at Party, who had somehow walked over to me without me noticing, and noticed there were tears in his eyes. I put my head on his chest and closed my eyes, tears welling up. 

"Ghoul, come with me." Party's hand grabbed mine and he led me out of D's room and across the diner. He led me to another room, the one we usually slept in. I walked ahead of him and laid down on the makeshift bed I had created out of boxes, tarps, and a sleeping bag that had been ripped in half. Party locked the door and then turned around, smirking when I patted the "bed" for him to come lay down. He unzipped his jacket and let it fall to the floor, followed closely by his black t-shirt. As he walked over he pulled his bandana from his neck then he laid down beside me and I rolled on my side facing away from him. He pulled me into his chest and held me close. 

"Ghoul…D said you knew about your condition…" Was all he said. I turned over so I was facing him. I just stared at him. 

"You aren't going to hate me when the times comes right?" Party looked shocked and hurt. 

"Ghoul I could never hate you for that!" I breathed a sigh of relief. "It's something to be happy about! It's a miracle really…" I froze. 

"WHAT THE FUCK!? HOW IS THAT A MIRACLE!?" I pushed away from him getting up on my feet. 

"Well how is it not?" I balled up my fist and punched him in the chest as hard as I could. 

"ASSHOLE!" I screamed as I hit him again. He backed off. 

"What did I do?!" Party shouted back. 

"YOU THINK THAT DYING OF CANCER IS A FUCKING MIRACLE?!" I shouted, holding back tears. How could Party say that? I thought he loved me. 

"What? NO! Ghoul listen I thought…I thought you knew!" He threw up his hands in defense as I prepared to hit him again. 

"KNEW WHAT!? THAT I HAD CANCER!? OF COURSE I KNEW THAT YOU DUMBASS!" I growled. 

"No! Ghoul! Calm down please!" He held up his hands innocently as if to try and pacify me. I pulled out my ray gun and aimed at him. His eyes went wide. "Ghoul what the hell are you doing!?" 

"How could you even fucking say that Party? HOW COULD YOU!? I THOUGHT YOU FUCKING LOVED ME!" Tears poured down my eyes. 

"Ghoul I do love you! It was a misunderstanding!" He took a step forward and I turned the gun slightly and fired off a shot, causing a lamp to burst. Party froze. 

"Just go away Party! GO AWAY!" I screamed, tears pouring down my eyes. 

"Ghoul I-" 

"ARE YOU DEAF!? I SAID GO THE FUCK AWAY! PLEASE! Please…just go away…leave me alone…" I couldn't hold back anymore tears and they poured down my face at an ever increasing rate. Party was crying as well but he did as I said and slowly backed up, grabbing his shirt and jacket then leaving the room. I let my gun fall out of my hand and I fell to my knees and sobbed into my hands. 

[Party's P.O.V.]

I walked slowly out of Ghoul's room. What just happened? I questioned myself. D told me he knew! I wiped off my face with my shirt before pulling it on followed by my jacket. I punched the wall next to me and walked angrily to the radio room. I flung the door open and kicked the back of D's wheelchair. 

"WHAT THE HELL D!?" I shouted. He turned around. 

"What?" He asked innocently. 

"YOU TOLD ME HE KNEW!" 

"No I said he thinks he knows what he has. I never said he knew he was pregnant!" He snapped. 

"WELL THAT'S JUST FUCKING GREAT!" I screamed, kicking a nearby chair so that it rolled across the room and hit the wall. "GOD FUCKING DAMNIT!" I snarled and picked up another partially broken chair and threw it at the window, causing it to smash open. I heard running and Kid and Jet came flying into the room. 

"What the hell is going on in here!?" Kid shouted. I just let myself fall to the ground in a crumpled heap and then curled up. I just cried into the dusty floorboards. 

"I'm such an idiot…" I sobbed. 

"Poison…what's wrong?" Kid kneeled down and put his hand on my back. 

"I screwed up Kid…I said the wrong thing and Ghoul…Ghoul hates me…" I sobbed even harder. 

"Damn right I do." I heard Ghoul. "Leave…get the hell out…NOW!" He growled. I stole a glance up at him, his ray gun was drawn and pointed at me, tears flowing down his cheeks. 

"Ghoul please I didn't mean it! It was a misunderstanding! I thought you were talking about something else! Please!" I begged him. 

"Shut up Party! Please…just…just go…" He choked out between sobs. Kid started to draw his gun but I grabbed his arm. I stood up and with one last glance at Ghoul I pushed past him and went outside, wiping away my tears. I couldn't let them see me broken like this. I climbed into the car followed by Jet. I waited for Kid but he paused in the doorway. 

"Kid come on let's go!" I shouted out the window, trying not to sound like I was torn apart by the one and only person I had ever loved. It was my fault too…it was a misunderstanding. Kid just looked at me then glanced to the side where Mafia was standing with her friends. His head dropped forward and he shook his head no. 

"Sorry Poison…I'm going to stay here…" He looked ashamed but I knew why. More tears flowed down my face…now I'm losing my own brother. I threw the car in drive and sped off down the road. 

"He'll forgive you Poison." Jet said quietly.

"I doubt it Ray…I was such an idiot…" I let the tears loose again. "Such an idiot…" 

[Ghoul's P.O.V.] 

Kid turned and looked at me then walked past me inside. 

"I can't believe you Ghoul…you're so oblivious…" He growled at me. "Gerard loves you more than anything…he made a mistake. You think he'd actually think that if you were actually dying?" 

"I am actually dying." I snapped.

"That's bullshit Ghoul…you don't even know what you have…you're lucky…I'll give you a hint…its not cancer you fucking idiot." He stalked out of the room after that. I clenched my fists and ran outside. I started walking…to where I don't know I just kept moving until I was a good fifteen minutes away from the diner, then I sat down and cried.


	12. Chapter 12

"Hey." I jumped when I heard someone approach me. I drew my gun and aimed it at them. 

"Hey whoa chill!" It had gotten dark outside so I couldn't see their faces but I could tell they were two of the girls that had come with Party. 

"Who is it?" I asked. 

"Crash and Atomic." The taller of the two said. I saw a glint from the glasses on her face. 

"Oh…sorry…just a little…jumpy I guess." I sat back down and stared up at the stars. 

"Mind if we sit with you for a bit?" They were already sitting down on either side of me before I even answered. 

"I guess not…" I whispered anyways. 

"I love nights like these." Atomic spoke up on my right. "You can see the stars so well and there's not a Drac in sight." 

"Don't jinx it." I chuckled. 

"I hate to pick at fresh wounds but what happened? Party and Jet blew out of here like madmen." Crash asked from my left. 

"Crash…" Atomic was about to scold. 

"It's fine…Party and I got in a fight…it wasn't good." I pulled my knees up to my chest and hugged them. 

"Well I hope you guys get past this…it would suck if the-"

"CRASH!" Atomic shouted from my right causing me to jump. 

"Sorry…you guys should talk it out…calmly. It might just be a stupid misunderstanding and easy to get past but you definitely need to talk to him when he gets back." I let go of my legs and slid them back out. Maybe it was and I was just being stupid. NO! I said it clearly and he acted like it was the best thing that ever happened. 

"No…it wasn't a misunderstanding. I told Party clearly that I had cancer and he acted like it was awesome. Stupid asshole!" I stood up and walked angrily back to the diner, leaving the two girls sitting alone under the stars. I walked up to the diner's doors and flung them open, the remaining glass falling out as it hit the back of the booths on either side. 

"Damnit Ghoul, this place is falling apart enough already." D said from his wheelchair across the room. Show Pony was heating up food over a small fire he'd created in an old oven. 

"Shut up." I snapped and stormed off to the "bedroom." I flung myself face down on the bed, wincing when my stomach hit against the cardboard under the sleeping bag. "Ouch." I groaned and rolled over. 

"I wouldn't do that again Ghoul." I sat up to see Kid tucked away in his corner reading an old magazine. "I mean it…don't do it again." 

"Why?" I said a little too harshly. 

"Because-look just don't do it again." He looked back down to his magazine, the front cover had a band on the front. I could see the date on it. August 30, 2010. So long ago…when everything was still all right. 

"I wish we could go back." I sighed as I layed back on my makeshift bed. 

"Back to what?" Kid spoke not even looking up from his magazine. 

"To the way it was…everything was so much better then." 

"Not everything…I do recall having to have a boring job to survive…I'd say our jobs today are far more exciting. Plus…you have Gee today…you didn't have him back then." 

"Yeah…don't think that's gonna last any longer though Mikey. In case you forgot he kinda ruined our relationship when he said it was amazing that I had cancer." I crossed my arms, I heard the magazine being put down and Mikey stood up then walked over and sat down on the end of the bed. 

"You don't have cancer Frank." 

"Oh yeah? Well you explain it then! There's a frickin growth in my stomach and there's only one thing I can think of and that's fucking cancer." Mikey just smirked and shook his head. 

"Frank. You don't have cancer. I don't know what else to say but…it's not cancer." Mikey was trying to help I could tell by the tone of his voice that he knew I was right. 

"Mikey…you and I both know that it is so don't try and cheer me up by saying it isn't."

"I'm not doing it to cheer you up. I'm serious Frank, I know it's not cancer." He stared at me and there wasn't a hint that he was lying in that gaze of his. 

"Then tell me Mikey, what is it? What could I possibly have?" 

"I-I cant say…" He trailed off. 

"Mikey. You tell me that you know I don't have cancer but you cant back it up? Come on tell me what it is if you're so all knowing!" I was getting frustrated now. 

"I can't tell you because-" He cut himself off. The look on his face said that he couldn't tell me cause someone told him not to. "Nevermind just forget I said anything alright." He got up but I grabbed his arm and yanked him back down. 

"Why can't you tell me huh? Did Gee tell you not to say anything?" He froze. Bingo. "Why? What can be so bad that Gerard would tell you not to say anything to me? Is this what you guys have been hiding huh? Why you've been so damn secretive?" I was getting angry. I was sick of all this secretive shit going on. 

"Frank I'm sorry I just can't say anything." He got up again and this time I did too. 

"What the hell Kid? We never hide anything from each other until just recently. It's pissing me off! Just tell me!" I pushed him up against the wall so he couldn't go anywhere. 

"I can't Ghoul just back off alright!" He pushed me back but that just gave me the room to pull out my ray gun, with no intention of using it no matter what, just to keep him where he was. "Ghoul come on put it away don't be stupid." He rolled his eyes. 

"I think you and Party are the ones being stupid. What? Can you not trust Ray and I anymore? Huh?! Is this some brother thing that we cant know about cause after all this time you still don't fucking trust us?" 

"Ray knows-I mean! Ugh…" He rolled his eyes and my heart sank. 

"So it's just me huh? What did I do that you cant trust me anymore?" I let the gun drop to the floor.


	13. Chapter 13

"You didn't do anything. It's just that-if I tell you…will you keep it a secret? Party told me not to say but...god you're gonna find out soon anyways…this is so frustrating!" He ran his hands through his hair. 

"Mikey…whatever it is…you can always tell me." He paused and looked right in my eyes. I stared right back at him. "We've always been friends Mikey. I've told you everything about me. Come on stop hiding whatever it is from me. It's my body…I have a right to know." 

"Ugh Party is going to kill me for telling you. YOU HAVE TO KEEP THIS A SECRET! I mean it Ghoul don't even let on to anyone that you know." I nodded my head, he was dead serious about this. 

"I swear I won't Kid…no matter what." 

"Oh man…here sit down." I followed him and sat down on my makeshift bed. He sat beside me. "Ghoul…remember how we found you?" 

"Yeah…I was wondering around in nothing but a hospital gown halfway to loonyville. What does that have to do with this secret thing?" 

"It has everything to do with it Ghoul. We found you outside of Battery City, in a hospital gown, and after hearing some disturbing rumors…" Mikey cast his glance down at the floor. 

"What rumors?" 

"Well there were rumors that BL/ind was doing tests on…males…trying to make them able to-to-" He was having a hard time finishing, I could tell whatever it was it was bad. 

"Come on say it." I said softly. 

"They were making men able to have children." He whispered and my jaw dropped.

"Are you serious?"

"Dead serious. We found you two days later in that hospital garb and…and then you got morning sickness and…" He put his head in his hands. I knew where he was going with this. 

"Mikey you cant seriously think-" He looked at me and I could tell from his eyes that he wasn't joking. 

"Think about it Frank. You had sex with my brother and then you start getting sick in the mornings and now…" He glanced down at my abdomen. 

"And now there's a lump in my stomach…" I trailed off, gulping as I did. My hand went to the firm spot on my stomach. My eyes as wide as they could possibly be. 

"Frank?" I heard Mikey somewhere in the back of my head. My vision went cloudy. I fell back on the bed and blacked out. 

[Party's P.O.V.] 

We hadn't gone very far. Jet and I were just sitting in the car about twenty minutes away. He was trying to console me and tell me everything would be alright. 

"Poison, Ghoul is just over emotional right now. He'll calm down I promise. You just need to go back there right now and talk to him. Explain everything. You can't just leave him thinking that you thought it was great that he had 'cancer'. I know you want to go back and be with him…be with your child. We have to leave tomorrow at the latest and I know you don't want to leave on this note." Ray talked softly. I just nodded as he talked. 

"I-I wanna go back Jet…I do I just…he hates me…he told me to leave he doesn't want me back…" I had never cried this much in my life. 

"He does want you Party…he just got angry and when people are angry they say stupid things. Now come on let's go back." I looked at him and he smiled. I smiled back, tears still sliding down my cheeks. I quickly wiped them away and turned the car back on. I put the car in drive and headed back to the diner.


	14. Chapter 14

"Frankie! Hey! Wake up!" I heard the angelic voice call out. "Come on sleepy head get up!" I obeyed the voice and slowly opened my eyes. His bright red hair hung down around his face. A tear formed in my eye and I put one hand gently on his cheek. 

"Gee...I'm so sorry..." I began but then memories of the night before flooded back. I shot up off the bed past him and ran to the bathroom. I slammed the door shut and locked it. 

"Ghoul! Hey are you alright?!" Party shouted from the other side of the door. I ignored him, too busy taking my vest and shirt off. I threw them on the floor and looked at myself in the mirror. I turned to the side, feeling like a complete and total idiot. Nothing looked different on the outside. I hesitated before putting my hand on the firm part of my stomach. I could feel it hiding under there. I closed my eyes. "Ghoul...Frankie...I'm sorry about yesterday. It was a misunderstanding and I wasn't thinking...I'm sorry, so sorry..." I stared at the door, hearing the soft sobs and sniffles coming from Party. I went to open the door and tackle him and tell him I was the one that should be sorry. To tell him that I knew about our...child....growing inside of me. I shuddered at the thought. It would take some getting used to. I remembered that Kid had asked me not to say anything though...I let my hand fall back to my side and I hung my head low. I didn't want to hurt him but I couldnt let on that I knew about this. Tears started to form in my eyes. 

"Go away Poison..." I never called him Poison, he was always Party to me. I knew he'd be hurt by it because people who were just friends or acquaintances called him that. 

"G-Ghoul please...don't...don't say that..." He sobbed louder. 

"Get lost Poison...I-I just want you to leave me alone..." I broke down and put my back against the door, sliding down to the floor. Crying my eyes out. I could hear him slide down the door on the other side, crying hard. It hurt me so much but I wouldn't take back a promise...promises were the only thing we relied on outside of our friends in this godforsaken desert. I put my head in my hands. I sat there for about an hour before I heard the shuffle of feet. 

"I-I love you Frankie...I always will...goodbye." Fresh tears flowed from my eyes. I wanted nothing but to run out of this room and tackle him and tell him that I love him with all my heart, but my promise kept me from doing so. 

"I love you Party..." I whispered to myself, too low for him to hear. I heard his footsteps grow increasingly quiet until I heard the jingle of the bell on the front door and a few minutes later, the roar of the Trans Am's engine. I walked out of the bathroom to watch the car turn and go down the road slowly getting smaller until it disappeared. I put my hand on the glass, crying as I did. A hand appeared on my shoulder. 

"Ghoul?" It was Show Pony. "I'm sorry..." Was all he said before turning to skate out of the room. 

"Pony did you know?" I questioned, not looking at him. 

"Yeah..." He said apologetically. 

"Who else knew?" 

"D, Crash, Atomic, Mafia, Jet, Kid, and-"

"I get it..." I said before he could say his name. "So everyone but the one afflicted." 

"Your acting like it's a disease. That's your child Ghoul. Your baby growing inside of you." He emphasized. 

"I know Pony...I just..." i couldnt finish the sentence. 

"You just loved him, but you promised Kid. Honestly...that's one promise I would have broken." He turned and skated out of the room. I wish I had.


	15. Chapter 15

[Party's P.O.V.]

Every part of my body ached as I shuddered, thinking that at any moment my tears would run dry. Frankie was my everything and we were going to have a family together...unbeknownst to him...I should have told him...I should have trusted him! I hit my head against the car window. 

"Party stop it your going to give yourself brain damage."

"Good I deserve it…" I choked out.

"Poison please stop it. It's not the end of the world…just give Ghoul some time to himself and I'm positive he'll cool off. Oh and you should definitely tell him when we get back because I'm sure that will help smooth this whole thing out and he'll understand why you said that stuff." Jet stared out at the open road. The sun was blinding so I pulled down the visor. "Anyone behind us?" Jet spoke up, I knew he could see for himself if someone was but he was trying to take my mind off of Frankie. I turned around and looked out but saw nothing. 

"No we're good. Hey Jet…why do you think BL/ind wanted to impregnate men?" Jet looked at me then back at the road. 

"That's the million dollar question Poison. You said Korse acted like he knew…I hate to say it but maybe we need to find him and ask him ourselves." I gawked at Jet. 

"Are you insane?! Going into Battery City to find Korse is suicidal! He barely leaves except when he knows exactly where we are. Let's just stick to the original plan and help destroy the remaining factories all right?" Jet nodded. 

"Who knows maybe Korse will find us…" Jet whispered then it went silent as we slipped into the next zone. 

[Kid's P.O.V.]

"Ghoul for the billionth time, you're only three months along…you aren't going to start really showing until another two months!" Ghoul had been standing in the bathroom for almost two hours staring at himself. 

"I know…it's just weird knowing that there's someone inside me." He pushed his long hair back out of his face and stood there for another minute before grabbing his shirt and slipping it back on. This was the first time I'd actually seen him without a shirt. I knew he had tattoos on his arms and hands but they also covered his chest and back. "What?" I looked at Ghoul's face. 

"Nothing…just realized how many tattoos you actually have." Ghoul smirked. 

"It's a lot isn't it? I don't even remember half of them actually. I know the Halloween stuff is all for my birthday…" He put his knuckles all together and it spelled out Halloween. 

"Your birthday?" 

"Yeah…my birthday is on Halloween." He smirked. 

"That's awesome! Least your birthday is easy to remember…I don't even remember what month I was born." Frank smiled and put a hand on my shoulder. 

"Doesn't matter anymore." He chuckled. I smiled and then we both walked out into the main area of the diner. The girls were all sitting in a booth, chatting when we walked in. 

"Hey! Come sit down!" Crash shouted. I nodded and noticed that the seat was empty next to Mafia and Atomic and Crash were grinning evilly. I gulped then went and sat down next to Mafia, smiling at her as I did. Atomic got up out of the booth and made Ghoul sit between her and Crash. "So we've been talking and the three of us agree that a trip to Battery City is unavoidable." Ghoul's face dropped and so did mine. 

"What! Are you mad?! That's like walking into your own grave!" Ghoul shouted. 

"Chill out! We've done it before!" Crash snapped. 

"Crash calm down." Atomic growled at her and Crash took a deep breath then exhaled. Atomic was definitely in charge of this little group. 

"You've gone into Battery City?" I said in shock. 

"Yes, we needed more supplies so we went into the city…it's not that hard to sneak in, but getting around and acting like a drugged up citizen can be challenging. Nothing to worry about though, we'll be in and out in no time at all." Atomic sounded reassuring but I couldn't calm my nerves, not cause I was scared, but because Mafia had nervously thread her fingers through mine.


	16. Chapter 16

[Ghoul's P.O.V.]

"And exactly why are we going on this little venture into the biggest death trap in the world?" I looked at Atomic and all of a sudden I felt a hand on my stomach and I froze. I looked down and followed the arm to Crash. 

"That's why." She said. "You're gonna need new clothes soon, shirts at least…your pants will probably be fine but shirts definitely." As she spoke I envisioned a very pregnant version of me and I shuddered. I'd feel so much better if Gee were here. I cast my gaze down at her hand on my stomach. She began to move her hand away but I grabbed it and held it there. She questioned me with her eyes. 

"Sorry…just made it feel…I dunno more real I guess." I whispered. She smirked slightly. 

"So when are we going to do this?" Kid spoke up, his cheeks were red and so were Mafia's. So cute. I smirked and he shook his head for me not to say anything. 

"I think we should give it two months so we can prepare ourselves." Atomic said. She pulled out a sheet of paper with a list on it. I read a few things. Batteries, shirts, food, etc. Wait…where'd she get paper and a pen? I would have to add those to the list…Party loved to draw, whether it was with graffiti or shooting holes in various shapes with his ray gun, I bet he'd love a good old fashioned pencil and some paper. 

"Damn…that's a bit late don't you think? I mean Ghoul will definitely be starting to show by then. You think it's safe to go into Battery City when he is?" Kid asked. I looked down at my stomach, Crash's hand was still resting lightly against it. I put my own hand just under her's. 

"It'll be fine. He wont be showing enough to draw any attention. While we're there we'll need to hit the maternity store. You two don't have to go in and Mafia can chill with you if you want. I'm guessing more than likely we'll be delivering the baby by c-section cause honestly I don't envision it getting out any other way, so we'll need to get a sterilization kit, a scalpel, and sutures. Normally they'd use staples but I don't picture any of us wanting to use a staple gun on him." I gulped, I could feel my adrenaline levels rising in fear.

"Okay that's enough talk about that for one day." I said quickly and luckily Atomic caught my drift. 

"You really know your stuff." Kid said to Atomic. 

"My mom was a doctor in Battery City…dunno if she still is but she was when I ran away. She taught me a lot of things before it became illegal to teach children anything that high level until we were in our twenties." I felt slightly better knowing that she at least knew about some of this stuff. 

"Did you ever-" I couldn't continue cause I didn't want to picture it. 

"Help deliver?" She asked and I gulped again, closing my eyes. 

"Y-yeah." I squeaked out. 

"Hell yeah. I helped with that the most. I helped with at least four c-sections too, even though I wasn't really supposed to I was better than most doctors." I breathed a sigh of relief. "Hah it's alright Ghoul, you've still got five months ahead of you till it's that time." 

"Yeah thanks for reminding me." I put my head down on the table. 

"So two months and we're gonna go into Battery City. How are we going to get there? We don't exactly have a car available at the present moment in time." 

"It's not that far from here…if we leave two days early we can walk there and camp outside the city and go in the next morning." Atomic sounded so positive it was uplifting. I lifted my head and smiled at her then I looked at Crash, who's hand had not moved from my abdomen, admittedly to my pleasure because it helped me make this more real than it felt, and she smirked. I smirked back and then looked at Kobra and Mafia, who were smiling at each other. 

"You two are so cute." I laughed. They were both instantly embarrassed and I just laughed harder. 

[Jet's P.O.V.]

I didn't want to wake Poison, he had just fallen asleep after crying almost all day, but we were approaching the next location. I flipped the headlights off and let the car crawl to a stop, the brakes squeaked too much to use them. I slid out of the driver's seat and went over to the passenger side. I opened the door and then gently shook Poison's shoulder. 

"Mmmm what is it?" He groaned. 

"We're here Poison. You can go back to sleep when we reach the camp." His eyes opened and he scanned the area through the windshield. 

"Okay let's do this. The faster we get this done the sooner I can go back to Ghoul and make everything right." He was at least thinking more positively now. He climbed out and quietly shut the car door and then we both snuck across the landscape, staying bent over as we jogged across the desert. A flashlight flicked on and off twice. 

"There's the camp." I pointed to where the light was emanating. We headed towards it and came across a group of four Killjoys. 

"Welcome to the party." One of the males said. 

"Nice to finally meet the leaders of this crazy ass scheme." A smallish girl said. 

"Enough with the pleasantries, let's get to work guys. This must be done tomorrow, can't last any longer so there's no room for error." Poison was in his deadly serious mode. Nobody ignored him or back talked him when he was like this. "Alright so this is how it's gonna happen…"


	17. Chapter 17

**_1 month later…_ **

[Ghoul's P.O.V.]

I know nobody else could tell but I could. I stood in the mirror for the fifteenth time, looking at my stomach. I could feel if not see the difference. I ran my hand down my stomach feeling the slight curve forming, or maybe I was just imagining it because of my nerves. 

"Hot off the presses!" I heard Crash shout from out in the dining area. I sighed and pulled my shirt on then walked out, pulling my vest on as I did. "Here's your's Atomic, Mafia, Kid, and Ghoul." She walked up to me and handed me a small ID card. Last week we had taken these ridiculous pictures, with a camera that Crash had found not too long ago, against a white sheet, looking all fancied up. My hair had been slicked back with god knows what and I was still trying to get whatever it was out of my hair. That stupid smiley face on the card pissed me off just looking at it. I shoved the piece of plastic into my pants pocket. "Alright so now all we need are some boring drab clothes and we're good. Ghoul, you'll need some gloves…they don't really allow tattoos anymore." Crash said it like it was her fault. 

"Damn…oh well. I'm sure we'll find something around here." 

"Not a problem!" Kid came bursting through the diner doors with Mafia close behind. He had white suits in his hands and Mafia was carrying some feminine looking outfits. 

"Where did you find those?" I asked as he passed me, he shoved a suit into my hands and I cringed. God I hated suits. 

"The suits we got off some Dracs while they slept and Mafia and the girls had stored their clothes not too far off from here in case they needed to go back." He was smiling widely. Mafia and Kid had gotten closer in the past month, not as shy but still blushed whenever they were caught holding hands. "Go try it on Ghoul, we need to make sure its not too long for your short-" I glared at him. 

"Go on I dare you!" I challenged him. 

"Never mind just go try them on. I have to too." We walked to the bedroom, which had been upgraded slightly to where I was now sleeping on a pile of torn up sheets and mattresses. I took my vest off followed by my shirt, pausing for a moment to lay a hand on my abdomen. I smirked then grabbed the black undershirt and pulled it on, almost gagging at the all too clean smell of it as well as the lingering cologne. I grabbed the jacket and pulled it on over top. I took my boots off and undid my belt and pants, quickly sliding them off. I pulled on the black slacks and to my surprise they fit. I put the stupid dress shoes on and turned around to face Kid. I was shocked, he cleaned up real nice. 

"I feel like a pansy." I said. "I hate these godamn monkey suits." Kid nodded. 

"Yeah I know…good thing we only have to wear these for a day."

"Amen." 

"Come on guys let us see!" Atomic said from the other side of the door. I grabbed the handle and turned it and let the door swing open. The girls all smiled. "You two are so handsome!" Atomic smiled. Crash crossed her arms and smirked, and Mafia was staring at Kid and blushing. If only Gee were here to see me all fancied up. He'd probably laugh and I'd laugh along with him. I hadn't heard from him in a month though. I let my head drop, I could feel the tears forming in my eyes. Maybe he'd decided he was better off. Or maybe…no I cant think of that possibility. I went and sat down on my bed, putting my head in my hands. They must have noticed cause everyone slipped out of the room, letting me have time to myself. I quickly changed back into my normal clothes before returning to my bed. I layed on my side facing the wall, one hand tenderly resting on the growing, yet still invisible, bump. 

"I miss you Gee…please come back." I cried to myself. "Please come back for us."

[Jet's P.O.V.]

I was running as fast as I could with Poison draped over my shoulders. He'd been hit hard and was completely unconscious. This wasn't going so well. There were five Killjoys besides us and they had miraculously all survived but with minor and major injuries. We brought the facility down but now all security was hot on our tails. 

"Keep running!" I shouted as I ran. If we made it back to camp we could blow these suckers away with the line of pipe bombs one of the guys had created. I crossed the line, avoiding the partially buried bombs and then kept running till I ran over the other side of the hill. I layed Poison down beside me and waited for the five others to rush over the hill before hitting the detonator. With a click the entire group of Draculoids disappeared in a fiery explosion. I breathed a sigh of relief. I turned to Poison then, checking his injuries. There was a gash on his arm, slightly singed from the ray that had nicked him, and his head was bleeding from where a Drac had knocked him out. I grabbed an extra bandana I had with me and tied it around the gash on his arm then dumped a nearby bottle of water on the bleeding area on his head. His eyes fluttered open. 

"Jet!" He sat up suddenly and then fell back dizzily. 

"Relax just relax." 

"Jet…I wanna go home…I wanna go back to the diner…Jet please…please…" He said before passing out again. 

"I know Poison, I know. We're almost done." I whispered as I picked him back up and carried him over to the makeshift beds strewn about.


	18. Chapter 18

**_1 month later..._ **

[Ghoul's P.O.V.] 

"Ugh!" I groaned again as I rolled over on my side. 

"You alright?" Kid asked, looking up from his magazine. 

"No, my hips are hurting." I sat up, moaning again. 

"Is that from laying on your side all day or from the baby?" I put a hand on my stomach, I was showing a little now. 

"The latter...my hips arent built for this and it hurts like a mother fucker." I got up off my bed and headed out into the main area to grab some food. I was starving. 

"Morning Ghoul. Hungry?" Atomic was already making breakfast. How they managed to get the stove working I will never know. "Pony jacked food from another truck so we actually have eggs and bread today." She smiled, her eyes focused on the eggs frying in the pan. My stomach growled. 

"When am I not hungry?" I chuckled before going and sitting down next to Crash. She was busy doodling on an old newspaper with a pen that Atomic had. 

"Crash don't use up all the ink please." Crash smirked and kept doodling. She glanced at me and her right hand moved to rest on my abdomen. It was like a ritual now, whenever I sat down next to her she'd place her hand tenderly on my bump. 

"So today is the day..." Mafia spoke up from across the room where she was sitting on Kid's lap and he had his arms wrapped around her waist. 

"Yep. Everything's packed right?" Atomic spoke up, shed definitely become the leader of this group which now included Kid and I. 

"Yep all my shit is ready to go." I said as she put a broken plate with eggs and bread on it down in front of me. I started eating it with my hands...silverware was long gone, including that spoon I had found. 

"We're good." Kid said for him and Mafia. 

"I'm ready to rock and roll." Crash spoke up. I looked at Crash and smirked and she smirked back. We had become best friends very quickly over the past couple of months. She unconsciously rubbed my stomach with her hand. I finished eating then went to get up but my hips started hurting and I sat back down. "What's the matter Ghoul?" Crash asked from behind me. 

"My hips weren't built to support a baby...it hurts." I pushed myself up quickly the pain increased a bit because now all my top weight was on my hips. "Ugh..." I headed towards D's room, ignoring the pain in my hips as much as I could. I pushed the door open and saw him holding his headphones tight to his ears, probably trying to get a signal. He turned a dial and then put his hand back on his headphones. I tapped on his shoulder and he froze up then relaxed. 

"Damnit Ghoul you're going to give me a heart attack. What's up?" 

"Anything from Poison?" I whispered. 

"Not anything understandable but he's definitely broadcasting because I keep hearing little blips of his voice. I think they might be too far away to get a good signal. I've been adjusting my radio to get a better signal." I smiled widely, glad that he was still okay. 

"Mind if I sit here for a little while?" D looked up at me then shrugged and took his headphones off. He rolled his wheelchair away and left the room. I pulled up the actual desk chair and sat down, gently placing the headphones on my head. I listened to the static for a bit before hearing something. 

"Can...hear...bad signal...Zone 5...safe...heading...diner." My heart jumped. Diner? He's coming back! I grabbed the mic and flipped it on. 

"PARTY! ITS GHOUL!" I screamed out over the radio. I heard a whole bunch of static. 

"Ghoul!" I heard him shout back. 

"One word answers can't hear you very well. You're coming back?" I was trying to hold my enthusiasm back so I wouldn't be screaming. 

"Yes." I heard him faintly. His voice was just as sweet as I remembered. 

"When?" 

"Today." My heart dropped. Today? We were leaving today and I had to go for the plan to be successful. 

"I won't be here." 

"Where...you…" He sounded upset. 

"Battery City." 

"WHAT?" He shouted over the radio. He was freaking out. 

"Well I'm gonna need new clothes soon Gee…"

"Why?"

"Gerard…I know, I know that I'm…pregnant." I took a deep breath. I had been planning on telling him as soon as I heard him on the radio. It was silent for a bit. I was growing increasingly nervous with each passing second. 

"Who..." Was all he said but I knew what he meant. 

"Mikey but don't get mad at him...I made him tell me." 

"One…" He said, probably meaning one second. I waited for him to come back on."Better signal now. Jet fixed our radio. Frankie listen…you can hate me all you want I just want you to know that I was thinking about the pregnancy that one day when you were thinking you had cancer…I didn't even pause to listen to what you were actually thinking about…I'm sorry…" I just started laughing. 

"If it's anyone that should apologize its me. I was being an idiot…thick headed. I'm sorry Gee." 

"I love you Frankie." Was his reply. I smiled widely, feeling my cheeks grow warm. 

"I love you too Gee." 

"To be honest Frank…I'm surprised you'd even want to talk to me, much less see me again…I left you behind and was such a dick and everything." 

"Gerard I told you to leave. It's not your fault and I was the one being a total asshole. I should have known that you would never say those kinds of things on purpose. I should have listened." I had scolded myself numerous times for being an idiot that day, for telling the only person I loved to get lost. 

"Please don't go to Battery…please I want you to stay behind and wait for me." I knew he'd say this. 

"Sorry but the plan is kinda riding on the fact that I'm with them. I can't back out now or we'll never have this opportunity again. I'm going with them but I'll see you when we get back right?" 

"Don't go Frankie please don't-" 

"Gerard, I'm going. It's not open to question, I have to go with them and that's that." 

"GHOUL TIME TO GO!" I heard Crash shout from the front. 

"BE RIGHT THERE!" I shouted back. 

"Frankie please don't-" He sad sadly.

"Sorry Gee. I'll see you when I get back. Love you." I said and then shut the mic and radio off before he could protest again. I put my hand on my stomach, rubbing the small bump and smiled. This is so weird and admittedly painful but…I'm having Party's child…Gerard's child and that was enough to get me through this. I got up out of the chair, much to my hip's distaste, and headed outside to start our long walk to Battery City.


	19. Chapter 19

"Uuuuuugggggggghhhhhhh…." I groaned for the trillionth time that day. We had been walking for hours down a slightly visible trail. My hips felt like they were going to snap from the baby pushing down on them. 

"Ghoul you're not helping…" Kid said as he trudged along beside me. I was the only one carrying a light bag and I felt bad but whenever they asked they said it was too much strain on me. 

"Well I could help if you just let me." I snapped back. Kid glanced at me through his shades. 

"No, you are carrying a heavy enough load already between that bag and your baby." I rolled my eyes. I pulled my shades out of my vest pocket and put them on, pushing my hair back out of my face. Atomic, Crash, and Mafia were doing better than us. They were used to walking the distance though cause they didn't have a car like we did. I didn't mind walking and I would love to do it more often but the sun was just killing us. 

"I'm gonna get a massive sunburn from this." I said, glancing up at the sun quickly before looking away. 

"CAR!" Atomic shouted and then suddenly made a mad dash off the trail toward and group of large, almost dead, shrubs growing there. We all bolted after her and ducked down. We waited a few moments before hearing the sound of the engine and then seeing a sleek black car with the BL/ind smiley on the side. I gulped and squeezed my eyes shut. That was Korse's car. 

"Please don't stop please don't stop please don't stop." I prayed in a whisper but the car rolled on and disappeared from sight. Party be careful coming home.

"Coast is clear. Ghoul you know who that was?" Atomic looked at me. 

"It's Korse…that's his car." Her eyes went wide and she shuddered and so did Crash and Mafia. Mafia walked over to Kid and grabbed his hand and they started walking. Atomic got out front again. 

"You doing alright?" I looked up from where I was still on my hands and knees. Crash stood over me her hands extended. I grabbed them and she pulled me up, much to my body's distaste. I winced when the weight rested on my hips again. 

"I'm okay let's just keep going." She nodded and we walked after them. Over the course of the next four hours we were all dragging our feet through the dirt, barely making any distance. I could see it though…it was far ahead but the skyscrapers gave it away. I could see the city that started and ended it all. I used to live here. My relatives lived here…they were probably still in the city, mindless zombies by now. I looked down at the dirt and an energy filled me up and I moved faster. If they're still in there maybe I could get them out. I wanted to get this done as well, Party would be waiting for me. 

"Jeesh where'd the energy boost come from?" Kid asked as I walked past him. 

"I want to get home and-" No, I wont tell them…I wont let them know that I'm going to potentially risk our lives by getting my relatives out of the city. "Party is waiting for me. I want to get this over with and get as far from this damned city as possible." Kid smirked and he started picking up the pace, Mafia right alongside him. Atomic and Crash smiled at each other and nodded, having an unspoken conversation. 

"Well then let's do this." Atomic cheered. An hour later and we were standing about a mile from Battery City, looking up at it. There were walls encircling it, with only tunnels as access points. It would look weird for us to just walk in. "They've blocked off the civilian walking entrance. SHIT!" Atomic was frustrated beyond belief and Crash looked like she was about to strangle something. I turned and looked around, my eyes landing on a white van heading into the city, followed closely by another one. 

"We could take a van." I said and Atomic froze and looked the direction I was. A smirk spread across her face. 

"I have an idea…let's get some sleep. I'll go on first watch." We all nodded and set up our sleeping bags, mine was torn so I had to literally roll it around me before lying down. I used my bag as a pillow and I quickly fell asleep, one hand resting on the tiny being sleeping inside my stomach.


	20. Chapter 20

[Atomic's P.O.V.]

I waited till everyone had fallen asleep before walking over to Crash and gently nudging her awake. 

"Are you kidding me? It can't be my turn already." I chuckled, she falls asleep so quickly. 

"No but you do need to get up, I need your help." She rolled over and looked at me then nodded and slowly climbed out of her bag so she wouldn't make any noise. I went to Mafia and gently shook her. Her eyes opened a bit. 

"Mafia come on get up." She got up and the three of us walked a little ways from the camp. I stopped when I thought we were out of hearing range. 

"Mafia I need you to stay here and watch Kid and Ghoul while they sleep. Crash you're coming with me." 

"And where exactly are we going?" Crash rubbed her eyes and let out a loud yawn. 

"We are gonna get a ride." I looked to where there were still white vans going into the city. Crash smirked. 

"Will this or can this involve any explosions of some sort?" She grinned evilly, sometimes I worried about her, but I was intrigued by the idea. We were all too similar, like we were meant to be twins. 

"I wish Crash but unfortunately this needs to be as quiet as possible." Her shoulders sagged a bit. I smirked. "Here's what's gonna go down. Those trucks are on a narrow road between those two hills, there is a sharp bend at one point so if we jack a truck there the truck behind it won't see what happened before it's too late. A bit farther down the road the trucks branch out, either going to the city or out to another zone I presume. If we follow the road that goes closest to where we are and make it without being tailed then we're successful. If we are spotted then we keep driving no matter what and lure them as far from Mafia, Kid, and Ghoul as we can get." Crash nodded, eager to put the plan into action. 

"And when is all this going to happen?" 

"Crash and I are gonna leave now and I guess we'll see you when we see you and if we don't…thanks for the ride Mafia." I smiled at her and she smiled back, but I could see she was upset. I turned to Crash. "Ready?" 

"Always." We turned and headed into the darkness away from the campfire light. 

[Ghoul's P.O.V.]

"Ghoul wake up." 

"Uuuuuuuggggggggggghhhhhhhh….five more minutes…." I groaned, rolling over on to my other side, my hips protesting as I did. 

"GHOUL GET UP WE HAVE TO GO!" I felt myself being lifted on to my feet by strong hands. I opened my eyes a crack and saw Kid glaring at me. My sleeping bag fell to the ground around my feet. 

"Ugh…I don't wanna!" I protested, my eyes slowly closing again. 

"You close your eyes and I'll put you in a dress." Kid said, my eyes shot open. 

"You're evil. Where would you even get a dress?" I growled and he let go of my arms. He smirked then looked behind him at Mafia, she held up a white knee length dress and grinned. I gulped. He wouldn't do it but I didn't know about Mafia. 

"Get dressed." He shoved the clothes into my hands and walked off. I watched as he disappeared behind a small rock mound. I looked at Mafia. 

"Uh…you mind turning around for a sec?" 

"Sure." She turned around and I turned the other way. I took off my vest and shirt, laying them on my sleeping bag. I went to pull on the black undershirt but I had to pause when I saw the subtle bulge in my belly. I smiled and rubbed it with my free hand. 

"We're doing this for you little one. You're making me wear this stupid monkey suit. Don't worry I'll have my revenge when you're older." I whispered and smirked, then pulled on my undershirt and then the stupid white jacket. I quickly took my boots pants off and yanked on the other pair of slacks and then the dress shoes in a matter of seconds. I tucked the undershirt loosely in my pants, making sure the bump wasn't visible. I then buttoned a couple of buttons on the jacket and grabbed my ray gun from its holster and slid it into the surprisingly large pockets of the slacks. 

"You good Ghoul?" I heard Mafia speak up. 

"Yep." I turned around to face her and she turned around. She was wearing the dress she had been holding up. "You look-" 

"Beautiful." Kid said from behind me. I turned and flashed him an irritated glance. Kid cleaned up far nicer than I did. I felt like a freak wearing this thing. I then noticed something. 

"Hey where's Crash and Atomic?" Kid looked at me and then looked around. 

"Uh…good point. Where are Crash and Atomic?" We both looked at Mafia and she looked nervous. 

"Uh…um…" Then we heard the honking of a car horn and turned to see a white van barreling towards us. I grabbed my ray gun out of my pocket and held it up, prepared to fire it. Mafia jumped in front of me though. "Don't! It's them!" The van came to a halt and out jumped Crash from the driver's seat and Atomic from the passenger side. Atomic's face was as white as a ghost. 

"Never let Crash drive again." Was all she said. Crash rolled her eyes then slid the back door open and drug out two Dracs and let them fall to the dirt, their hands and feet bound. I chuckle when she smiled smugly. 

"Alrighty then let's go." Atomic spoke up and we all nodded. "Ghoul you wanna drive?" 

"Sure, sounds good to me." I grabbed my sleeping bag and clothes and threw them in the back of the van before climbing into the driver's seat. The car was almost alien to me, there was an actual working radio with a six CD slot changer and a MP3 hook up and working air conditioning, not to mention it had all of its glass and looked pristine. Kid jumped in the passenger seat. I turned to watch as Crash, Mafia, and Atomic climbed in. I noticed Atomic and Crash were still in their normal outfits. "Uh…you two gonna change clothes?" 

"Yep so long as you two keep your eyes on the road until we're done." I smirked and nodded. Kid didn't need to be told. I put the car in gear and got back on the road that led into Battery City.


	21. Chapter 21

As we joined the line of vans, my heart started pounding. I was a nervous wreck. I wanted to do this, to save my relatives, but at the same time I feared this place. There were Dracs everywhere and I wanted nothing more than to draw my ray gun and shoot them before they shot us. 

"Calm down Ghoul..." Kid said but I could hear the nervousness in his voice as well. Our van slowly inched up to the front of the line until it was finally time for me to pull up to the gate. My hands were shaking on the steering wheel. A hand slid on to my baby bump from behind me. 

"You can do this Ghoul, for your baby and for Party." Crash's voice emanated from directly beside my ear. I put my hand on top of hers and smiled. 

"Thanks Crash." I gripped the steering wheel tightly with my free hand and stopped the car. A Drac approached my window and I reluctantly rolled it down. 

"Welcome back to Battery City. IDs please." His voice sounded programmed. I grabbed my I'd and took everyone else's then handed them to the Drac, I went to pull my hand back into the car when he grabbed hold of it. I flinched when he did. "What are these?!" He said angrily. SHIT! My tattoos! The Drac drew his gun and held it to my face. The back door of the car opened. 

"Drop it." Crash's voice came from outside the car. I looked in my resented and saw her standing there, holding a pristine white RYB/laster in her hands. "He's a reprogrammed Killjoy that we use for recon. We're bringing him here on orders. Now DROP IT!" The Drac let his gun fall. "Now give us back our IDs and let us through or we'll have a talk with Korse." The Drac flinched then quickly handed our IDs back and opened the gate. I drove through and breathed a sigh of relief when we were far enough away. 

"That was close." I looked at Kid and he nodded. 

"Here." A pair of gloves, black fingerless ones, was tossed into my lap. I took one hand off the wheel and grabbed one glove then quickly took my other hand off, driving with my knees, and pulled the gloves on. We approached the end of the tunnel and my heart started pounding again. According to Party, the last time I was here I was experimented on. My hand went to my stomach and I gulped. I stole a glance and saw he was just as nervous as I was. The van emerged from the tunnel and my jaw dropped. 

"This place is-" Kid started. 

"Fucking huge." I finished. There were skyscrapers and restaurants and huge homes. There were sleek cars all around, kinds I'd never seen before and some were newer versions of car I'd seen back in 2010 thought were cool looking. 

"Okay let's park and get out. We have to be extremely nice to everybody and careful at the same time. Remember they've been taking pills to take all their problems away so we have to act like nothing in the world is weighing us down. Kid, Ghoul, you two can go anywhere you want after we get Ghoul some clothes. Mafia, Crash, and I have some errands to run. It's twelve thirty according to the clock. Let's meet back at the van at four at the latest." Atomic was a good leader, always knew what to do. 

"Sounds good to me." I said, trying to park the van straight. Stupid parking spaces. 

"Oh and your IDs get you anything. Just swipe then and you're good." Atomic climbed out of the van. We all got out and I fumbled with the keys till I found the lock button. I locked the car then put the keys in my pocket. Atomic, Crash, and Mafia started walking and Kid and I followed. We approached the first people of the say and they smiled at us and we smiled back. "The store is right around the corner." Atomic said. Kid caught up to Mafia and their hands locked together. I wish Party was here. I glanced in store windows as we walked and when I looked in one I froze. In the reflection a familiar Trans Am was being towed through the city at a slow pace. I turned around, my heart dropping. Half the car was blown away. 

"K-Kid..." I said but they kept walking. "KID!" I shouted and they stopped and ran back to me. The Trans Am squeaked as it rolled along on its back tires. 

"What's the matter?" I looked at him and then looked back at the car. I saw him turn his head and his eyes go wide. A crowd had gathered to watch the odd car go through the city. A sleek black car came up behind it and the tow truck stopped. I was fighting to hold back tears and so was Kid. Korse got out of the black car and walked to the Trans Am. He put a hand on it and I started to go after him but Kid grabbed me and held me back. 

"YOU FUCKING MONSTER!" I shouted, tears pouring down my face. Kid clapped a hand over my mouth. 

"Shhh Ghoul shh..." his eyes were watering. Atomic, Mafia, and Crash had to pull us from where we were frozen, watching Korse talk about how he'd finally killed Party Poison and Jet Star. 

"Guys come on not here! Please!" Atomic whispered. We reluctantly followed her to a back part of the city. She let us stop and I leaned against the wall, sliding down it and crying my eyes out. I pulled my knees up to my chest and buried my face in them. Kid fell to his knees, he was crying just as much as I. I'd lost the love of my life and a best friend, and he'd lost his brother and best friend. 

"This can't be happening…" I sobbed into my knees. "It can't…he can't be…no, no, no…he was coming home…I should have been there…we should have been there…we saw Korse and I…" I sobbed, a hand rested lightly on my shoulder. 

"I'm so sorry Ghoul, I-I don't know what to say…" Crash had attempted to console me. 

"Ghoul, Kid. We'll….we'll get revenge." I looked up and saw tears streaming from Atomic's eyes as well as from Crash and Mafia. Mafia was sitting beside Kid, holding him and trying to calm him but I knew it wouldn't happen, it'd never be the same.


	22. Chapter 22

It took two hours for us to be able to move again. When I stood my legs quivered, threatening to collapse under me. My hips were protesting and I thought of the baby inside of me. I started to cry again. He or she will never have a father…never see their other dad. I quickly wiped my tears and composed myself when Dracs walked around the corner, we all flashed fake smiles at them and they nodded and kept walking. I wanted to attack them right then, to get my revenge now, but my legs wouldn't move. It had grown dark by now.

"Come on guys we need to get in that store before it closes or we won't get another opportunity. Looks like we'll be staying the night in Battery City." Atomic looked around warily. We started walking back the way we came and headed to the store. It was already closed when we arrived but the mall across the road was still open. We headed inside and walked around looking for a decent store. There was a simple looking clothing store on the left side so we headed in. The girls went to the women's side and we went into the men's. I was practically dragging my feet, holding back my emotions. Kid and I started digging through separate piles of shirts. Each shirt was plain, no designs or anything. They had all the different shades of white and nothing else. 

"I hate this place." I mumbled under my breath and Kid nodded.

"Can I help you gentlemen with anything?" A familiar woman walked up to us. I couldn't place where I'd seen her before but I knew her face. 

"We're just browsing, thank you though." Kid smiled kindly. She smiled back, but it was more like a smirk. More like my own smirk. 

"Excuse me but do you have a father-in-law named Frank." I asked her. She smiled at me, kinda creepy, but then nodded. 

"I do in fact? Why do you ask?" She kept on smiling.

"It's just…you look so familiar. I mean…was his last name Iero?" Her smile dissipated. 

"Yes…how do you know that?" I recognized her, she was family…more so…she's my mom.

"Because…because I'm your son…it's me, Frank." Her eyes went wide. 

"Frank?!" She looked at me then threw her arms around me. I looked at Kid and he just stood there shocked. "Oh my baby! I've missed you! Where've you been?" I wanted to tell her but she'd been on the pills so I couldn't. 

"In another city. I got transferred there for work." I lied, I was holding back tears. No emotion. 

"Don't lie to me Frank…I know your not on the pills I can tell. I've seen you on the wanted posters…my little Fun Ghoul." I held her back slightly, questioning her with my eyes. She smiled and stroked my face. 

"I'm not on my pills either Frank…I couldn't do it. When they took you away from high school that day I knew they were taking you to a testing facility. I thought I'd never see you again but then a year later I see you on a wanted poster with the Killjoys no less, I was relieved you were alive." She hugged me close. Then grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the back. Kid followed me and we all went into the back office where she locked the door and then went under the camera in the room and unplugged it. "We only have a bit of time before the Dracs come to check the cameras. To be honest they have no film in them…I disconnected them long ago from the server. Tell me Frankie what happened…I mean…what did they do to you?" I smirked then unbuttoned my suit jacket and then untucked my undershirt. I lifted it up, exposing my tattooed skin and the subtle bulge. I could tell she knew what it was immediately by the way her eyes grew soft. She layed a hand gently against it. "How?" 

"No clue, but you know Party Poison?" 

"Of course…he's the main Killjoy that Korse wants dead…" My face dropped. 

"He's the father…and he's…he's…" I broke down again. 

"Frankie! What's wrong?" 

"He's dead...he's my brother…biological…and he's dead." Kid choked out. My mom pulled us both into a tight hug.


	23. Chapter 23

"GHOUL! KID! ARE YOU IN THERE?!" Atomic banged on the door suddenly. My mom looked at me as if asking if it was alright and I nodded. She went and opened the door. "Who's this?" She barked at my mom. 

"I'm Fr-" She saw me shake my head no. "Ghoul's mother." 

"And you're not on the pills…" Atomic noticed right away. 

"That's right." 

"Look Mrs…uh…Ghoul…" Atomic shrugged. "He needs new shirts…I'm guessing he told you why." My mom nodded. 

"Okay I'm on it, unfortunately we only have the boring colors but they'll work." We followed her out into the store and she started frantically gathering clothes and shoving them in a large bag. She handed them to me. There were Dracs coming in the store now and we all put on our stupid smiles. 

"How may I help you gentlemen?" She asked in a very robotic sounding voice. 

"Were you aware that five minutes ago your cameras were disconnected. 

"No I was unaware of this. Feel free to reconnect them." She kept the stupid smile on her face the whole time she talked, she was good at this. The Dracs headed into the back. 

"Ghoul go, leave now." She started pushing me towards the door. 

"But mom!" 

"No buts. Please for your safety please go and get out of here as soon as you can." She looked like she was about to cry. "Take care of yourself my son. I hope I'll see you again." I hugged her one last time before leaving the shop quickly. I'll come back for you mom. I promise. We exited the mall and walked back towards the van. We loaded the clothes in and sat inside. My hips ached from walking all day long. My stomach growled and I massaged the bump gently. 

"Your baby's got the right idea. I'm starving." Kid said. I smirked. 

"There's a diner down the road." Atomic said and I started the car up instantly and drove down the road, it felt weird obeying the laws of the road again. I parked in front of the diner she pointed out and we all clambered out. This is probably what our diner looked like in it's day. We sat at a booth and read the menu. Everything sounded delicious…so much better than dog food. I ended up just getting dessert. I ordered something random, not remembering what I liked and disliked. We got our food and dug in, whatever I had gotten was delicious. I drank down some soda, god I must have gotten like ten refills since I hadn't had soda in a long time, as well as about five glasses of water. Atomic swiped her ID and the waitress smiled and left us. We got up and left as soon as I finished my last water. We headed down the street, Dracs walking towards us. We passed by them. 

"So Party Poison and Jet Star are finally dead. Two down two to go." I heard one of them say.

"Thank god those stupid bastards are gone. Kobra Kid and Fun Ghoul will be a piece of cake to take care of." I wanted to turn around and shoot them from behind and I almost did. 

"Fucking assholes." I growled after them. Kid clapped a hand over my mouth. 

"Shh, quiet Ghoul." The girls were walking a ways ahead, Kid walking with me cause it hurt to walk right now so I wasn't necessarily going that fast. 

"Yeah Ghoul you really need to be quiet." A voice came behind me and I was suddenly grabbed from behind, a hand going across my mouth. Kid was grabbed too. I started hitting and kicking frantically, but the man's grip was too strong. I was pulled down an alley and pushed up against the wall. I saw my attacker finally. He had a white long sleeve shirt and black skinny jeans on. His almost shoulder length, black hair hung partially in his face. My hand slowly moved to my pocket. 

"Don't Frankie…" He breathed. 

"How'd you-" I was cut off when the man pressed his lips against mine. I was shocked at first but then it felt familiar. The way he kissed me, the smell of his hair and skin. I pushed him back slightly. 

"Gee?" A smile spread across his face.

"It's me Frankie, it's me." He pulled me close to him. I burst out into tears and wrapped my arms tightly around him, crying into his shoudler.

"Thank god…the car and…I thought you were dead…" I started crying even harder and he held me closer. 

"We destroyed the decoy car to get in here when they were distracted." I heard Jet's voice and turned my head to see him high fiving Kid. 

"Decoy car?" I mouthed. Jet just smirked. 

"Let's just say BL/ind sucks at paying attention to detail…the part of the car that's blown away was already like that when we found it." He chuckled. I swear sometimes Jet scared me, he was way to good with anything mechanical. 

"GHOUL!" I heard Crash shout and she came flying into the alley with Atomic and Mafia, guns raised. 

"Let him go." Atomic growled. 

"Guys chill…it's me, Party Poison." They didn't believe him, holding their guns steady, probably because his hair was jet black instead of fiery red. 

"It's him, it's Party." I smiled widely, tears still falling from my eyes. We looked at each other before I reached up and kissed him on the lips again. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he wrapped his around my waist. We kissed again and again, reveling in the feel of each other's lips against our own.


	24. Chapter 24

He pulled me tighter against him and I winced slightly. He released his grip a bit and stepped back and looked at me. 

"Are you okay baby?" He looked in my eyes and I smiled then, as we looked at each other I took one of his hands and laid it on my baby bump. His eyes went wide and he looked down. He gently lifted my shirt up so it was above the subtle bulge. He kneeled down, his hand stroking the child within me. He had the most beautiful smile on his face. 

"My hips are killing me, not meant for baby weight." I smirked when he smiled up at me. He closed his eyes and kissed my belly, then stood up and pressed his lips to mine. 

"God you two aren't going to give it a rest tonight are you?" I heard Kid from behind Gerard. Gee smirked and turned to face his brother. 

"Nah not for a while." He smirked at me. I let loose a giggle then laughed more cause of my giggle. I was just too happy right now. 

"I love the sound of your laugh." Gerard put his hands on either side of my face and kissed me again. 

"I love everything about you Party." I kissed him back. 

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the tests earlier I-" I put my finger on his lips. 

"I don't care about that anymore Party…we're having a child together. I'm scared shitless about that but…we'll have a baby, a family." He smiled another perfect smile. Then moved his hands to the bump again and kissed me. 

"God get a room." Jet spoke up. I smirked. 

"Actually…that's not a bad idea. We won't be able to get out of the city tonight so we should find a place to stay." Atomic said then started walking out of the alley, Crash and Mafia in tow. Gerard smiled then grabbed my hand and started walking after her, Kid and Jet following close behind us. Atomic knew where she was going. We walked for a few blocks until we came to a stop in front of a hotel. She took a deep breath before walking into the hotel. Gee squeezed my hand and we followed her in. We walked up to a weird looking booth, there was a monitor in the center. She tapped the screen and it came on. 

"Welcome to the Battery City Lux. Please enter the number of rooms and guests you desire." The screen changed and Atomic typed in the number of guests then tapped in the number three for the amount of rooms. The next screen asked for the number of beds in each room. She typed in two beds for two of the rooms and a single bed for the third. She turned and smirked at Gerard and I. I looked at Gerard and he looked at me then smirked, his grip tightening on my hand. Three room keys popped up out of the top of the machine. "Enjoy your stay at the Battery City Lux and remember keep on smiling!" I wanted to shoot that damn machine when it said that. Gerard smirked, clearly thinking the same thing. We walked behind Atomic to the elevators, I hated being here. I just wanted to go back to the diner with Party and enjoy every ounce of his company. We reached the tenth floor where our rooms were. We walked down the hall, following Atomic. We were all on our toes as we passed each room. We finally came to the first room. Kid and Jet went inside and locked the door quickly. The next room we came to was the other room with two beds. Atomic, Crash, and Mafia all headed in to that one, which left Gee and I. We headed to the last room and swiped the key, opening the door when it beeped. We flipped the lights on and I smiled widely when I saw the huge white bed in the center of the room. I hadn't slept in an actual bed since 2010. 

"Gee…" I looked at him, begging him to get in bed with my eyes. 

"I know Frankie." He turned to face me and then placed his hands on both sides of my face and kissed me. He kept kissing me, each kiss more passionate and heated than the last. He backed me up against the wall then slid his hands down my neck and chest, slowing as they slid gently over the baby in me, traveling down to my hips. He held me there against the wall. He then slowly grabbed the jacket I was wearing and took it off of me, then slid his hands to the edge of my shirt and slowly lifted it off, his fingers trailing up my skin. I shuddered at his touch, enjoying every moment of it. I grabbed the edge of his shirt and lifted it up and over his head, then threw it to the side. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held him to me. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close enough to where we were grinding against each other as we kissed. His eyes were closed and I let mine slide shut. "Mmmm Frankie..." 

"Yes Gee?" I said in between kisses. 

"We gonna make use of that bed?" My heart fluttered and I smirked. 

"Yes please!" I moaned as he pulled me closer, grinding against me harder. He started walking me backwards towards the bed until I fell down on it. He climbed on top of me, never breaking the kiss. He kissed down my neck and chest until he reached the bump, kissing it multiple times before licking up my chest. I moaned loudly. "G-god....Gee…." I moaned again. He kissed me again on the lips before I felt his hands playing with my belt buckle. I smirked. He was mine…all mine. This beautiful man above me was nobody else's. 

"I love you Frankie." He whispered. 

"I love you too Gee…always…" I kissed him again. His hands went up above me and I felt the sheets being pulled down underneath me. He pulled the sheets down to my ankles. Successfully undoing my belt, he unbuttoned and unzipped my pants and then slid them slowly down, making sure he trailed his fingers down my legs. I slid my hands down to his pants and yanked them down, wasting no time. We threw each other's pants on the floor then Gerard pulled the sheets up over us.


	25. Chapter 25

Next thing I knew I was waking up in the morning, the sun was shining in through the hotel window. I sat up and looked at the sleeping form next to me, forgetting for a moment that his hair was no longer vibrant red but dark black. I played with it for a moment before rolling out of bed and heading straight for the bathroom. I paused and looked at myself in the mirror, I had a feeling I would be doing this a lot more soon. I could see the bump when I stood sideways now. I smirked and rubbed it a little before going to the restroom. When I walked out, Gerard was still passed out on the bed, his arms spread out around him, a tangle of sheets wrapping around his body. I went to the bag in the corner and pulled out one of the t-shirts that my mom had hastily thrown in. It was black and white striped. "Least it has some form of a design on it." I shrugged before pulling it on. I grabbed MY black pants, not those slacks that I had on yesterday. I didn't really see any harm in wearing them, they didn't really have any designs on them that would give me away. I then grabbed the dress shoes and slid them on. I tousled my hair for a moment in the mirror before grabbing my ray gun from the other pants and putting it in my pocket. I then placed a soft kiss on Gee's forehead before slipping quietly out of the room. 

"Figured you'd be up already." I jumped when I saw Jet leaning against the wall in front of me. It was just now that I noticed his hair had been tamed and pulled back into a ponytail. I smirked and almost burst out laughing but a glare told me it wasn't such a good idea. He had on a plain black t-shirt and a pair of jeans. 

"Where the hell did you find jeans? Do they even let people wear jeans here?" Jet smirked. 

"Well hopefully considering I 'bought' them here in the city this morning." A look of disgust spread across his face when he said "city." 

"I hate this place." I announced. 

"So do I Ghoul but you needed to come here for obvious reasons." I looked, following Jet's gaze, at my stomach seeing the subtle bulge through my shirt. I'd have to wear a looser one next time. 

"Damn…hard to believe in four months or so I'll have a child in my hands." Jet nodded in agreement. 

"It's weird I'll admit, gonna take some getting used to." 

"Yeah tell me about it." I looked back up at him. 

"Poison still sleeping?" 

"Like a rock." I smirked. "Havent slept in a bed for nine years and damn did it feel good." 

"Really? You actually got some sleep? Cause from what I heard last night it didn't sound like you did." My eyes went wide. 

"You uh…heard that?" 

"Ghoul, I think the whole city heard you guys last night." He smirked. I gulped and blushed nervously. "Hey well that's how you got pregnant in the first place so it's not like I didn't know it was happening. Plus we were kinda around when you were 'busy' in the car and-" 

"YEAH OKAY! I get it!" He smirked and I just rolled my eyes at him. My stomach growled. 

"I agree, let's get some food." I smiled, but I was dreading leaving this hotel. I didn't want to go back out into the city, knowing that Korse could potentially live right around the corner or something. "It'll be fine Ghoul, we walked around all day without a problem…well…y'know for a while. What's the matter with walking around today?" 

"I have Party back…I just don't want anything to happen to us." 

"Ghoul it'll be fine! We're just gonna go right downstairs to the café. We have our guns and we can blend in well enough. Come on I'm starving!" Jet grabbed my arm and half dragged me down the hall, I was starving but I didn't want to leave Party sleeping alone in that room. "He'll be fine! He's Party Poison, if anyone's going to get out of this situation it's you two." I looked at him questioningly. 

"What are you talking about? We're all going to make it out of here together, I wouldn't leave without you guys." He smirked and rolled his eyes. We got in the elevator and it took us back to the lobby area. I followed Jet, clearly he had already been down here this morning, and headed into the dining room. There were tables full of food everywhere, everything from eggs and bacon to muffins and cookies. Most importantly though, there was coffee. Low and behold Kid was standing in front of one of the coffee machines, filling up a huge cup of it. He turned around and saw us and smiled. Everyone was smiling, always smiling. They were completely unaware of the bad things happening outside their city walls, all the death and destruction. A little kid ran past me wearing that fake smile, or maybe it was genuine. Kids had a way of pretty much always being happy. 

"Oh man….mmmm….sooooo goood." Kid sipped his coffee, not having it for nine years probably made it taste better than it actually did. I grabbed a cup of water, coffee sounded good but water sounded better. Fresh, clean, water. I took a sip and smirked. Jet went to find a table while Kid and I loaded up three plates, mine just a bit bigger than theirs. We sat down at the table Jet had found and started eating. I ate fruit mainly, leaving food on my plate to take back to Party. The food had a weird aftertaste though, it was odd kinda like after you take…pills. I froze and let the fork fall out of my hands. I looked at Jet and Kid and they just kept eating on and smiling. I tapped Kid on the shoulder. 

"Stop eating." I whispered.

"What why?" He said, the smile dissipating for a split second. 

"The drugs…they're mixed into the food." His eyes went wide and he dropped his utensils and spit out what was in his mouth back on to the plate. Jet did the same but thankfully he spit it out into his napkin. Gag reflex was still kinda high for me. We got up from the table and threw out our plates and then hurried back to the room. In the elevator I started feeling dizzy, watching the lights on the numbers get fuzzy then go back to normal about a dozen times. I felt that my legs were ready to give out. "Guys-" I started to drop to the floor and they grabbed me just in time and supported me between them. 

"Ghoul! You alright?" Kid looked at me, his eyes searching for answers. 

"N-no-y-yes of course I'm fine, everything's just fine...everything's…perfect…" I smiled then my eyes closed and I passed out.


	26. Chapter 26

[Jet's P.O.V.]

"Gh-Frank...come on please wake up!" I shook him for the sixth time and his eyes fluttered open before rolling back and shutting again. I was feeling a little lightheaded myself but I'd be fine. I definitely hadn't eaten enough for the pill to have any effect, but Ghoul…he'd scarfed down almost a whole plate. "Frank come on please wake up!" Kid and I laid him down in the corner of the elevator and I kneeled down in front of him. I closed my eyes and slapped him across the face. He'd definitely get back at me for that one. He stirred, his eyes opening and staying open but they lacked their usual shine. He looked like he was staring off into space, his eyes unfocused and…blind. "Frank look at me." His eyes moved to look at me and a stupid smile spread across his face. 

"Ray, how are you?" He asked and I looked at Kid. 

"We need to get him to throw that shit up." Kid announced. I nodded in agreement. The elevator dinged at floor ten and we rushed out, carrying Ghoul between us and almost running full on into Atomic, Crash, and Mafia. 

"What's the matter?" Crash snapped at me. 

"The drugs…they're in the food. We need to get him to throw it up right now…he ate too much of it." Their eyes went wide and they led the way back down the hall, rushing towards Poison's room. 

[Ghoul's P.O.V.]

I felt free as a bird, the colors of the carpet below me all blurring together. I smiled down at it. I was vaguely aware that I was being carried by two people. Such nice people, helping me to my room. I'd have to thank them once we got there. I kept smiling, stealing a glance up and seeing a window pass by, it was bright and sunny. Nice day. 

"Thanks for helping me." I smiled, turning my head to look up at the guy with his hair pulled back. He looked down at me, he wasn't smiling. Nobody frowned in Battery City, he's not from here. Red flags went up in my brain. I have to tell somebody, the authorities. I was being kidnapped by outsiders! "LET ME GO! LET ME GO! HELP SOMEBODY HELP! I'M BEING-" A hand went over my mouth.

"Ghoul shh! Please!" The man begged, a look of sadness spreading across his face. Who was Ghoul? My name is Frank not Ghoul. I looked down at the guy's pocket and saw the end of a RYB/laster sticking out, only it wasn't white as it should be, but blue. Killjoy. Have to tell the authorities. I struggled against the men carrying me, shouting into the guy's hand but it only came out as a mumble. "Kid we need to hurry!" They ran faster with me between their bodies. They stopped outside a door. Good! The person inside can help me! 

"GEE OPEN THE DOOR! GERARD WAKE UP!" The second man, thin and hiding behind sunglasses, banged on the door with his free hand. Whoever this Gerard was I hoped he was a friend. 

[Party's P.O.V.]

I rolled over in bed, hearing the sound of Mikey's voice shouting from the other side. I groaned and pulled the sheets off of me then grabbed my boxers and pants and pulled them on. I turned to look at my Frankie but he wasn't there, the bed was empty. I got up and headed to the door and unlocked it, then pulled it open. I was greeted by a terrified expression on Mikey's and Ray's faces then I noticed they were supporting Frankie in between them. 

"Frank!" They pushed past me and carried Frank straight towards the bathroom and I rushed in behind them. Atomic, Crash, and Mafia stood in the room behind me. "What's wrong!? What happened?!" I looked at Kid and he looked at me before letting his head drop. I looked back at Frank and saw he was smiling at nothing, his eyes were dull. 

"The drugs Gerard…they're in the food." Was all Jet had to say and I knew what had happened. "We need to get him to throw it all up so it gets out of his system before the damage is permanent." I nodded and helped them quickly flip Frank so that he was on his knees in front of the toilet. I grabbed a bunch of Frank's hair and pulled his head back then used my free hand to stick my finger down his throat to trigger his gag reflex. He gagged and coughed multiple times and multiple times I had to stick my finger down his throat. On the third try, and with many desperate begs from me for him to be alright, he finally threw up into the toilet. 

"Please Frankie, please be alright." I begged, tears running down my face. I couldn't lose him to the drugs after just getting him back. What about our child? Would he or she be affected by this too? "Frankie please I love you." He kept throwing up until he was only dry heaving, then he slumped and passed out right there. I picked him up by myself and carried him bridal style to the bed and laid him down. 

"Is he okay?" Atomic asked, worry staining her voice. 

"We won't know till he wakes up." Jet said sadly. I sat down next to Frank and stroked his hair and face. 

"Please Frankie baby…please be alright. I love you more than anything in this whole world, please don't let it win…fight it babe, fight it like you always have. Please." I whispered to him, tears falling from my eyes.


	27. Chapter 27

I stroked his hair for hours. Each breath he took was precious to me cause I didn't know what was going to happen. He'd had coughing fits every other hour and groaned in his sleep. His face was twisted like he was in pain. I laid beside him on the bed, holding him tight to my chest with one arm. I put my head in the crook of his neck and just closed my eyes and listening to him breathe. 

"Gerard." I opened my eyes and looked up to see Mikey standing there. He was still wearing that ridiculous white suit. I got up off the bed and went over to a duffel bag I had brought in after Frank fell asleep last night. I dug through and pulled out a plain white t-shirt and a black beanie, both of which I had grabbed just for my brother seeing as they were his from before all of this. Plus his hair was definitely going to be recognized by Korse if he saw him. I handed them to him and he looked at me questioningly. 

"You kept them?" He sounded surprised. 

"I kept anything we had with us when we ran out into the desert. I wanted to remember our lives before this." 

"Well did you forget my pants or something?" I smirked. 

"Your pants got taken by a coyote when you were sleeping. I tried to catch it but it was already gone."

"Aww man…that sucks." We both just laughed quietly, we hadn't had a good laugh together in a long time. 

"Just wear your usual pants and it'll be fine." He nodded and smiled at me then headed into the bathroom. 

[Kid's P.O.V.]

I locked the bathroom door behind me. The look on my brother's face when he laughed was priceless but I could see his true emotion hiding behind it. He was ripped in two I could just tell. Frank was his everything and now he might be losing him yet again and this time to the very people we've fought against for years. I put the clothes on the counter and then put my hands on either side of the sink and allowed the tears I'd been holding back to flow down my face. Gee didn't deserve this, Frank didn't either. They were the nicest people and they shared a love that could never be matched. My niece or nephew was growing inside of Frank and if we lost him we'd lose the baby too. I looked up at myself in the mirror, my hair long in the front and short in the back. I'd allowed Gee to cut it and dye it like this and at first I questioned it but I've grown to like it. In return I dyed his hair red like he'd always wanted and thanks to a new invention in 2011 the color was permanent. It was weird seeing him with black hair after all these years of seeing his vibrant red hair. I smirked at my reflection but really I was smiling at all the memories I still remembered from our lives before this. 

"Mikey you doing alright in there?" I smirked. 

"I'm good just thinking." I shrugged off the white jacket and let it fall to the floor, followed closely by my undershirt. I stood there shirtless for a moment looking at some of the almost invisible scars from laser hits I'd taken. I'm lucky to be alive right now. I was about to put my shirt on when I saw the shower in the corner of my eye. "Gee, I'm gonna take a shower real quick."

"There's showers?" He was just as surprised as I was. 

"Yeah!" I took my shoes off, followed by my pants and boxers and stepped into the shower. I turned the water on, not at all bothered by the cold water that spurted out. It felt good. After a minute of cold, I turned the warm water on and just stood there, enjoying the feeling of the water running through my hair and down my face and body. I looked at the bottles that were sitting on a ledge in the shower and picked one up. It was shampoo. I squirted some into my hand then smelled it, trying to find any trace that it somehow might have drugs in it or something. It smelled like coconuts. I rubbed it in my hands then lathered it in my hair. It felt so good. I did the same with the conditioner and then rinsed it out and got out of the shower. I dried off with a towel, then grabbed my own pants and boxers and pulled them on. They were surprisingly clean. I wonder who washed them, probably Gee…I'd have to ask him. I grabbed the white t-shirt and smiled, remembering simpler times when I wore this shirt to bed. I pulled it on and then pulled my beanie on over my wet hair. I opened the door and went back into the main area. Gerard was sitting by Frank, his hand stroking Frank's face. I was jealous of him for that. That he could be intimate with someone without being nervous. My thoughts went straight to Mafia. 

"Wow it still fits!" I looked up at Gerard and he was smiling at me. 

"Thanks…" I cast my gaze down at my feet. 

"What's the matter Mikey?" 

"I'm jealous of you Gee. I'm jealous that you can be so close to someone you love without being nervous. Gee laughed a little and I looked up at him. 

"Mikey, I'm scared shitless. Frankie makes me so nervous every moment of every day because I love him so much. It just gets easier once you tell them how you feel. When I told I loved him for the first time and he said he loved me back, I was so happy, we both were. I'm assuming you're thinking of Mafia." I blushed. 

"Yeah. I just-I love her Gee. I just get so nervous that I can't tell her or kiss her and I just…I dunno…" He got up from his place next to Frank and came over to me.

"Mikey, have you seen the way she acts around you? She's nervous as hell! She blushes every time you look at her and when you hug her she closes her eyes and smiles like it's the greatest thing in the world. She loves you just as much as you love her." Gee put his hand on my shoulder and I looked at his face and he smiled.

"You think?" 

"I know. How could she not" It's like you two were made for each other." I smiled and an adrenaline rush shot through my body.

"Thanks Gerard." We hugged each other, not having done that in a long time either, before he let me go and I left the room and headed down the hall to Mafia's.


	28. Chapter 28

[Party's P.O.V.]

"Ugh…" I sighed as I sat down on the end of the bed. Frankie was still out cold, his face had become more relaxed though, which I'm hoping is a good thing. I sat there at the end of the bed for an hour before getting up and walking over to the television hanging on the wall. I fumbled around with the remote until I finally found the power button and the tv flicked on. The first channel that came on had one of those black and white screens and a woman was saying "Better Living Industries has created a perfect world for us all…" I closed my eyes and flipped the channel and a cooking show came on. I rolled my eyes and kept flipping channels until a news channel came on. I watched it for a bit before going to shut it off but right as I was about the hit the button a picture of Mikey, Ray, Frank, and I popped up on the screen. I left it on and went and sat down next to Frankie, my eyes glued to the screen. 

"Yesterday Korse finally saved our city from the outside threat. The Killjoys called Party Poison and Jet Star were ghosted just outside our city walls. Korse says he believes they were attempting to blow up the city, but it backfired and their vehicle was blown up instead. He fought the Killjoys before successfully bringing them down. And in other news-" I rolled my eyes. Korse was lying to them, drugging them and lying so that everything seemed so perfect when it really isn't. I looked at Frank and noticed a bead of sweat roll down the side of his forehead. I put my hand on his head and gasped. He felt hot to the touch, really hot. I quickly got off the bed and pulled the covers off of him and then proceeded to remove his shirt and roll him on his side so cooler air could hit the back of his neck. I ran to the bathroom and grabbed a towel then turned the shower on cold and soaked the towel under it. I squeezed most of the water out then headed back into the room and laid it on Frankie. 

"I'll be right back Frankie." I kissed his forehead and left the room grabbing the key as I ran out. I shut the door behind me and ran down the hall. I ran down to Kid and Jet's room and banged furiously on the door. 

"JET! KID! OPEN UP!" I didn't care that I had said their names aloud or that I was banging furiously on the door causing a lot of noise. This was my Frankie we were talking about here. The door swung open and a hand flashed out and grabbed my shirt, yanking me in and slamming the door. 

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Jet shouted at me. 

"Ray are you and Mikey alright?" He looked at me quizzically. 

"Yeah I'm fine and Mikey looked fine when I passed him in the hallway. Why what's wrong?" 

"It's Frankie, he's burning up. I pull the sheets off of him, took his shirt off, and put a wet towel on him but I don't know what else to do." I started freaking out. Picturing Frankie lying there by himself in that room any longer was painful to me. Jet sensed my emotion and quickly ran out of the room with me. I banged on the girl's room as we ran by and then quickly unlocked my room. I ran in and over to Frankie. I put my hand against his chest and felt his skin, it was still burning hot. Ray's hand came into view next to mine. 

"You're right, let's open the window or something. I'll do that and you go fill the bath with cold water." I nodded and ran to the bathroom and fumbled around with the drain in the bath until it finally shut. I then fumbled with the nozzles. Everything was touch screen here and I didn't understand some of the buttons.

"DAMNIT!" I hit another button and the water started pouring out, nice and cold. Maybe too cold…I adjusted the temperature on the screen and held my hand under the water and felt it heat up a little bit. Still cold but not ridiculously cold. I went back into the living room where Jet had just finished getting the window open. He walked around to the foot of the bed and grabbed hold of Frankie's legs. I cast a glance at him. 

"Grab his arms, we need to get him to the bath." I nodded and hurried over to the bedside. I grabbed Frankie and forced him into an upright position then slid my arms under his and wrapped them around his chest. "Ready? 1, 2, 3!" We lifted Frankie up and off the bed, almost dropping him in the process. We struggled to turn around the corner into the bathroom but we managed to carry him to the tub. We put him in so that his feet were near the faucet and his head resting against the back. I sat down on the tub and put my hand against his forehead, he was still burning up for now. I looked at Ray and he looked back at me and shrugged. "I don't know what else to do Gee…besides take him to a-" I knew he couldn't say it…I couldn't even bring myself to say it. We all hated that place, the one where people went if they were in a car accident or something. A long time ago we had all gotten into a pretty bad situation and ended up with severe injuries. We had to sneak into a…a…hospital…and get some medicine and gauze wrap. Inside that place we saw all kinds of things we didn't wish to repeat or think of. It was horrible, let's just put it that way. 

"You know I am sure as hell not taking him there." I glared at Ray.

"Gerard…you know we might have to if he doesn't get any better." In my heart I knew Ray was right but I didn't want to think about it. I stroked Frankie's face and leaned over and kissed his cheek lightly. 

"He'll get better…he's Frank…he'll be fine." I whispered. Ray just nodded and got up and left the room. I sat there for hours, watching Frank like a hawk. His temperature had gone down so I drained the cold water and just sat by the tub. I must have traced his tattoos with my eyes for at least an hour now, memorizing every inch of his skin. My eyes were drawn to the scorpion on his neck, I hadn't really seen his tattoos in detail, too busy with…other things. Wonder why he got a scorpion on his neck. I traced his body with my eyes again and they rested on the bump indicating where our child was. I smirked then gently rest my hand against it, this being only the second time I had ever felt it beneath his skin. I smiled widely, feeling it there under his skin. I looked back at Frank's face, it was much more peaceful than it had been. I stroked his cheek again before getting up and walking out of the room. 

"Gee…"


	29. Chapter 29

I froze when I heard a very familiar voice. I turned and ran back into the bathroom. Frankie's head was turned towards me and his eyes were just barely open. When I ran over to the side of the tub he looked up at me and a smile slowly spread across his face. His hand came up and rested against my cheek. "Hey Gee…" I felt tears spill out of my eyes and down my cheeks. I smiled at him. His eyes glistened like they always did and I knew he would be alright. My heart started pounding in excitement. 

"Hey Frankie." I cried and he moved to sit up but winced and laid back down in the tub. 

"It hurts Gee…" He groaned, his hands going to the small bump in his stomach. 

"Your hips?" He looked at me then back at the baby bump.

"Everything Gee…everything hurts." I saw a tear form in his right eye and I wiped it away before it could slide down his cheek. 

"Well let's get you out of that tub and into the bed." He looked at me and I just smiled then reached out and stroked his cheek. I then leaned in, cupping his face in my hands and kissed him passionately on the lips. I pulled back and smiled at him and he smiled back. 

"Okay…" He winced as he sat up. "AGH Gee it hurts." Tears spilled down his cheeks. I didn't know what to do, he was in pain and I couldn't help him. There's nothing either of us could do, the pain was caused by our growing child and possibly the last effect of the drugs as they left his system. I grabbed hold of his arms and helped him stand up in the tub and held him up as he stood there for a moment, crying because of the pain, then he took a careful step out of the tub and then took his other foot out. I held him close to me, supporting his weight for him so that his hips didn't take the full weight. His arms latched around my neck.

"I thought I'd lost you Frankie…" I cried into his hair. 

"I can't remember anything except being in pain, the last thing I remember was being caught by Ray and Mikey then that's it…it hurts...sooo much Gee." His voice hitched and I heard the quiet sobs. 

"I'm sorry babe…I don't know what to do…" I cried again. 

"It's-agh- not your fault." He choked out. I held him back slightly and put my forehead against his and looked into his eyes. 

"I love you Frankie…so much." I kept crying and he smiled through the pain. 

"I love you too Gee." Tears streamed down his cheeks. I put on arm around his waist and turned and pulled him tight to my side, leaning to the left slightly so he wasn't putting any weight on his feet. I helped him out into the main room and then laid him gently down on the bed. He still winced and still cried. As soon as he laid down he winced and fresh tears spilled down his cheeks. I sat down beside him on the bed, just smiling at him. He smiled at me and then his gaze went down to his stomach. I watched as he laid one hand tenderly against the bump. I smiled and slid my hand next to his. He looked at me and smirked. I smiled widely. "I still can't believe this is happening, I mean I can see it now but I still can't believe it…y'know?" I nodded. 

"I still can't believe I'm going to be a father. I mean of all people I am lucky enough to have a family and with the love of my life." I kissed him on the lips. 

"I love you so much Gee…AGH!" I leaned back away when I felt the spasm rip through his body. 

"Frankie you okay?" His face was twisted in pain. He didn't reply just whined and cried. I got on the bed beside him and pulled him against my chest. I rubbed the bulge in his stomach and then started massaging his hips. 

"Thanks Gee." He sniffled, still in pain. We lay there in silence, I kept massaging his hips and stomach. 

"Frankie?" I waited for him to answer but he didn't. I leaned over and saw that his eyes were closed and he was gently snoring. I smirked and laid back down behind him, still massaging him. "Frankie…you have no idea how much I love you. If I lost you…I don't know what I'd do. You are and always will be my everything, my reason to live. I probably sound like I belong in a cheesy romance movie, but it's true. I love everything about you, the way that you fight, the way your body moves when you walk, the smirk on your face when you've done something that you think might upset me, everything. I love you so much and I always will. Forever and ever Frankie…forever and ever. "I whispered into his ear as he slept. I wrapped my arm around him in a half hug and closed my eyes. I fell asleep with the love of my life curled up against my chest. 

[Ghoul's P.O.V.]

BANG! My eyes flew open from a deep sleep. BANG! I shot up straight, my hips protesting instantly. I was immediately in pain again, so much so that I started whimpering. BANG! I looked to the door, the sound emanating from the other side of it. I moved my legs so they were dangling off the bed and slowly slid my feet on to the floor. I cried the entire time, it felt as if my hips were being ripped in two. I walked slowly over and grabbed my yellow shirt with the black stripes on it, my usual shirt, and slid it on. I didn't see the harm in wearing it while I was in the room and I was only gonna peek outside of it. BANG! What the hell is going on out there? I grabbed my pants, my dirty dusty out in the desert ones, and pulled them on slowly. Every inch I moved the pants up my leg was more agonizing than the last. I held back tears as I walked to the door. I noticed that somebody was trying to open the door already from the other side and I backed away from it, my adrenaline levels spiking and my heart started racing. 

"POISON! OPEN UP! WE GOT COMPANY!" I heard Kid's voice scream out. I rushed over to the door and unlocked it and twisted the handle. I held it open, standing behind the door, and watched as Jet, Kid, Crash, Atomic, and Mafia all ran in. I slammed the door shut behind them. "Poison we have-Ghoul?" I turned to look at them and they were all staring at me. "Ghoul! You're alright!" Kid grabbed me and hugged me tight. I stood there like a dumbass, he had never ever hugged me before, neither had Jet. Kid released me and smiled. 

"Ghoul where's Poison?" They look panicked.

"Sleeping. Why what's wrong?" I pointed to the bed where Poison was sprawled out. I moved to go and wake him up but I stepped too quickly and put too much pressure on one leg, I cried out in pain and fell against the wall for support.   
"Ghoul!" Crash pushed through Jet and Kid and kneeled down in front of me. She put her hand on my shoulder and looked me straight in the eyes, mere inches away from me. I wrapped my arms around her neck.

"I'm good…just help me up." She wrapped her arms around my waist, resting her chin on my shoulder then lifted and backed up with all her strength to get me on my feet. I whimpered when all my weight was back on my hips. 

"You're not 'good' Ghoul. What's wrong? Is it the baby?" She kept her arms around my waist, probably thinking I was gonna fall again, which was a likely possibility. 

"Yeah…it hurts more than before now…feels like my body is being ripped in two." A silent tear fell down my face because it hurt so much. I turned my head to see Kid waking Gee up, forcefully. 

"GERARD WAKE UP!" He shouted at him. Crash released me but put my right arm around her neck for support. I was grateful for it. Atomic was nervously looking out the window at the city down below. Mafia was standing close to kid, her hand clutching his jacket as she scanned the room. Jet was standing by the door looking out the peephole. "Frank change your shirt. Do it!" Crash grabbed my shirt from yesterday and handed it to me and I took my arm off of her and quickly changed out my shirt, throwing the other on top of the bag. 

"CAN SOMEBODY PLEASE TELL ME WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?" I shouted and they all looked at me. 

"Yikes…intense wake up call." Gerard sat up and rubbed his eyes sleepily. 

"Dracs…lots of them." Was all Atomic had to say to set my heart racing. "A tenant in another room must have told them of the unusual disturbance. We shot down four, but more are coming." Atomic had her ray gun in her hand, resting against her leg. 

"We need to get out of here." Gee flew out of bed, still fully clothed and ran over to his bag to grab his Killjoy clothes. Kid went over and stopped him though.

"Take your gun and hide it in your pocket. You and Frank need to leave now, you'll look like ordinary citizens and they haven't seen you yet. Frank can you walk?" Kid looked at me and I nodded. 

"Yeah, painfully, but I can walk." Gee noticed that I was being supported by Crash and came over. 

"Thanks." he whispered to her and she nodded and smiled before handing me off to him. He put his arm around my waist and held me close. Kid grabbed the bags that I had gotten from my mother and handed them to Gerard. 

"I'm not leaving here without you Mikey." Gee said to him, it wasn't a question.

"Well that's too bad Gerard. You're getting out of here no matter what. I'm not a little kid anymore, I don't need my older brother telling me what I can and cant do." He snapped. The girls all looked at each other. 

"Brothers?" Mafia mouthed. 

"Take your bags, your clothes, your guns, and go to the van. Here's the keys. I mean it Gerard. Leave." Kid was in charge now, I could feel Gerard's body shudder. He was sad, more so than he would show in front of them. 

"Mikey I can't…I can't lose you." Gee choked out.

"It doesn't matter anymore Gee! You have a chance at a family! A life! Don't waste it standing around here waiting to get shot! Go!" Kid pushed Gerard and I towards the door and then pushed us out into the hallway. Gee slipped his ray gun in his pocket and then I felt him slip another one, prolly mine, into my pocket. I turned and watched Ray, Mikey, Mafia, Crash, and Atomic follow us down the hall. Their brightly colored clothes contradicting the walls and floor. They all had their guns raised and were completely serious. I noticed that Mafia's and Kid's free hands were entwined. I smirked and then looked back ahead of me. We turned around a corner and froze. A large group of Dracs stood in the hallway, guns raised. And standing in the middle of them was Korse. I gulped but kept a straight face. 

"DUCK!" Korse shouted and Gee yanked me down to the floor. Lasers shot out around us. Dracs fell left and right and Korse hurried down the hall away from us. Gee picked me up and we ran, stumbled, down the hallway. I was crying now, each step was agony. Little one you can stop trying to prove you're there now. We ran down hall after hall before jumping into an elevator. We all crammed inside and Kid hit the "Lobby" button. The elevator started moving down and my heart started racing even faster. I saw Crash and Atomic hug each other quickly as if it was the last time they'd see each other. I didn't want to think about that, that I'd lose more friends. Mafia was leaning against Kid, crying into his jacket. He stroked her hair and held her close. Jet was just staring blankly at the elevator door. 

"We'll all be fine guys." Poison stated, turning to look at each of them. "We've made it this far, we can make it out of here." I could see the tears building up in the corner of his eyes, he knew something I didn't. I looked at everyone, just thinking that some of the amazing people wouldn't make it out of here was heart breaking. More tears flowed down my face. The elevator dinged and Gerard and I turned around to face the doors, they opened slowly and I felt the tip of a gun press into my back. I turned my head to see Jet and then noticed Kid was doing the same to Poison. They pushed us forwards out of the elevator, where the entire lobby was filled with Dracs and S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W. Korse was standing closest to the doors behind all of them. Coward. 

"Let them go." Korse demanded. 

"Let us through." Kid snapped. 

"You know Kid…it was quite a pleasure watching your brother die as well as-" His eyes widened, he obviously recognized Jet in a heartbeat. "Well…didn't think you survived either Jet." He smirked. "Guess we'll just have to kill you here." 

"YOU FUCKING MONSTER!" Kid shouted then removed his gun from Poison's back and started shooting. Gerard yanked me forwards, running towards the Dracs and avoiding lasers. We couldn't get to the door yet so we ducked behind a table in between the Dracs and the Killjoys. The firing raged on, Dracs were falling quickly and it seemed as if we would all make it out. 

"MAFIA!" I heard Kid scream. I squeezed my eyes shut.

"No, no, no, no." I cried to myself, Gerard's grip tightened on me. 

"AGH!" I heard a girl cry out. I opened my eyes and turned my head around, looking through the legs of the overturned table. I wish I hadn't looked. Crash was lying motionless on the floor, a burn mark through her clothes directly where her heart was. Her eyes were open, her gun on the floor in front of her. Tears were cascading down my face now. I watched as Atomic ran over to Crash and shook her, trying desperately to wake her up, but then I had to watch as Atomic's shoulder was nailed by a laser and she fell back. She cried out in pain, I knew what she was feeling. It had happened so many times to me. It burned like hell and it would last for days. Atomic got back up and ducked behind a chair, clutching her shoulder. Jet was hiding behind an overturned coffee table, firing off shots when he could. I saw Kid back behind him, stroking Mafia's face. Her leg had been nailed pretty badly. I had to look away from the scene, I couldn't take it anymore. My hands involuntarily moved to my stomach. I cried harder and harder. I glanced at Poison and he was crying his eyes out. He couldn't help his brother because of me. It's all my fault. I cried even more at this realization. It's all my fault they are here. It's my fault that Crash is dead and Mafia and Atomic are hurt. It's my fault that Gerard can't be with his brother. It's my fault that Ray is fighting for his life. I felt Poison get up and yank me to my feet, I didn't care about the pain anymore…I deserved it. 

"No Gee I can't! I can't leave them!" I cried out, pulling in the opposite direction. 

"Frank please…" He was crying hard. He was stronger than me and he successfully pulled me towards the door. I kicked and shouted though. Watching the fight behind me. Ray was the only one still shooting…they'd never make it out alive. I closed my eyes and turned and ran alongside Gee out the doors, tears streaming down both of our eyes. We ran to the van and Gerard pushed me into the back of the van and threw the bags in near my feet. I just laid there on the floor of the van, curled up into a fetal position. I heard the van start and the squeal of tires as Gerard sped out of the parking lot. I could hear his sobs as he sped through the city. 

"This is all my fault…all my fault. I'm sorry…I'm so sorry." I cried, my tears sliding down my cheek and dropping onto the van's floor where they rolled away.


	30. Chapter 30

The van sped through the city. I crawled up onto the bench seat and just laid on it, staring at the back of the bench seat in front of me, tears rolling down my face. Gerard was sobbing, his breath hitching as he choked out. 

"M-Mikey…" He choked out. "I'm sorry…I…I-" He couldn't finish the sentence. I cried harder, knowing full well that this was all my fault. I felt the car crash through something and I sat up just in time to see us blow through the tollbooth, the Dracs inside jumping out and starting to shoot at the van but to no avail. We sped through the tunnel and burst out the end back out into the desert. As I watched the desert landscape pass by outside the window it felt far emptier than it had ever before. I truly felt alone for the first time out here. Poison and I were alone. We could always go back to Dr. D and Show Pony, but it wouldn't be the same. It grew quiet in the van, the sobs were stifled but I could feel the lingering sadness. I looked down at my stomach, the small bulge just barely showing through my shirt. I rubbed it gently. We lost them little one…they're gone. Fresh tears built up in my eyes and slid slowly down my cheeks. Crash was gone for good, I'd seen her lying there lifeless and it was my fault. Atomic and Mafia were both badly injured and probably dead by now. Mikey and Ray…my two best friends…they were gone. I started crying and the car started to slow down and I heard the crunching sound as the tires rolled on to the dirt. I heard the front door open and close then the back door slid open and Gee stood there looking at me. He was still crying. He got in the back seat next to me and wrapped his left arm around my shoulders and pulled me against him. He rest his chin in my hair and we sat there and cried. 

[Kid's P.O.V.-during fight]

I saw Gerard and Frank run out of the building. They were safe, mission accomplished, yet I felt like a failure. The person I loved was injured, badly at that. Normally ray wounds didn't bleed but her's was bleeding a lot. I ripped my bandana from my neck and tied it tightly above the wound on Mafia's leg then helped her up on to her feet. Ray was covering us as I got her towards the back door of the hotel. I laid her down in the corner. She was groaning in pain, clutching at her leg. I looked into her panicked eyes and put a hand on her face. My heart started pounding when I knew what I was about to do. I leaned in swiftly and placed a soft kiss on her lips, enjoying the sweet taste of them. I pulled away and saw the shocked look on her face. She stared at me but then put a hand on my face and leaned up and kissed me back. 

"I'll be right back Mafia. I have to go help Atomic and Jet." 

"Kid don't leave me please!" She was just as frightened as I was about this whole situation. 

"I'll be right back I promise." I got up and ran back down the hall, ducking behind a table close by and then looking over and firing off a shot at a Drac, who fell moments later. I looked to my right and saw Crash's body lying in the center of the floor, her eyes open still. She looked frightened, but she was long gone. I closed my eyes, a tear sliding out. This is my fault. We should have all left together. If Gerard was here we wouldn't be in this situation. I opened my eyes, avoiding looking down at Crash's body again and locating Atomic. She had her back against a table, one hand clutching her arm where she had been shot. I waited a moment then ran across the space between her and I. I kneeled in front of her. "Atomic you need to get up!" I grabbed her good arm and pulled her up so she was kneeling. I ran across the open space again, keeping low and then sat down on the otherside and turned to face Atomic. Her eyes were on Crash's dead body. Tears flowed down Atomic's cheeks. She looked at me and I looked down in apology. She ran across the open space and then around the corner towards where I had left Mafia. Suddenly I was grabbed from behind and a strong arm went around my neck. My hand holding my ray gun was grabbed and held tightly and my ray gun slipped on to the floor. 

"KID!" Mafia screamed. 

"MAFIA! ATOMIC! RUN!" I shouted at them. I turned my head to see a Drac holding me tightly. I struggled with him but to no avail, he had me. 

"Looks like I've caught two little birds who were in the wrong place at the wrong time." Korse stepped in between me and Mafia. I saw Mafia be pulled to her feet by Atomic and they ran out the door. I saw Jet out of the corner of my eye being held by a Drac too. "Lock em up in maximum security. Don't kill them, I want their knowledge of the desert and location of their hideout." I started kicking and screaming. 

"YOU BASTARD! I'LL NEVER TELL YOU AND NEITHER WILL JET!" I screamed at him, kicking and punching at the Drac that was holding me, but his grip remained firm. 

"Oh I have a feeling you will in time, and we do have at least five months to spare..." He said with a smirk on his face. The Dracs drug us towards the front door. 

"RUN MAFIA RUN!" I shouted before a solid punch slammed into the side of my head and I was out cold. 

[Poison's P.O.V.] 

Frank had fallen asleep against my side, my hand was resting against the small baby bump. All I could think about was Mikey…I'd lost my brother…after promising my parents that I would never let anything happen to him, he was gone…I took a deep breath. We needed to get out of here before Dracs came after us. I got out of the back seat, making sure Frank was buckled in first so he wouldn't fall out of the seat, and then got into the front and started the van. I pulled back on to the road and drove until I reached a familiar turnout and went down it. We arrived at the diner moments later, I could make out the brown tarp in the back that was covering the real Trans Am. The front door of the diner opened and Dr. D and Show Pony stood in the doorway, big smiles on their faces. I got out and walked up to them. 

"So how'd it go?" Dr. D asked innocently. I looked down at the dirt and a tear slid down my face. 

"Frank and I…we're the only ones left…" More tears slid down my cheeks, I looked at Dr. D and his eyes had started watering. 

"They're gone?" He choked out and I nodded, starting to sob again. 

"They're gone…Ray, Mafia, Atomic, Crash, and my own brother…Mikey's gone." I fell to my knees and cried.


	31. Chapter 31

I felt someone grab my arms and pull me on to my feet. I looked up at Show Pony and he smiled then supported me, being as I was too upset to walk straight, and took me into the back room where our "beds " are set up. I curled up on my makeshift bed of tarps and boxes, already missing the softness of the bed back in Battery City, but out here was safer by far. I closed my eyes and cried into my hands. I heard Show Pony leave the room and then two pairs of feet enter a few minutes later, I could hear the soft whimpers from one. I heard the soft sound of the shredded mattress flexing under the weight of someone on them. The whimpers continued. I wanted nothing but to get up and lie next to Frank and massage him to make the pain lessen, but my body refused to move. I was too broken to even move a muscle. My body ached from head to toe, my throat had gone dry, and my eyes were itchy and swollen.

"I'm sorry Poison." I heard Frank whisper from the other side of the room. "It's my fault isn't it…all of this…it's all my fault." I heard his voice crack as he spoke. I forced my body to move and roll over to face him. 

"What's your fault Frank?" I whispered back.

"Everything. Mikey, Ray, Atomic, and Mafia are trapped in Battery thanks to me, maybe even dead. And Crash…she's dead Gerard…because of me, Crash is dead." I heard his voice hitch and the sound of his sobs grew louder. He was crying, crying his heart out and I couldn't move to help him. I just laid there and cried.

"It's not your fault Frank...none of it is…it's mine if anything…I should have just waited for you…then I wouldn't have banged on those stupid doors and you wouldn't have had to go to a hotel…you could have left in one day if I had just waited…it's my fault…" The room filled with the sound of our crying. I heard the springs in a mattress squeak and then saw the black outline of Frank and heard his whimpers as he crawled over to me. He climbed on to my "bed" with me and curled into my chest. I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face in his hair. 

[Jet's P.O.V.]

I opened my eyes slowly, instantly noticing that part of my vision was blurred. I shut my right eye and my vision was clear then I switched and my vision was blurred. Great my right eye is fucked up. I moved to rub it, thinking something might just be in my eye but when I moved my hands they were restrained instantly. I moved my head up and looked down my body to see myself dressed in all white, my hands and feet cuffed to a white table, in…yep…a white room. I was alive, shockingly enough. 

"KID!" I shouted out.

"Mmmmm." Somebody moaned to my left and I turned my head and saw Kid dressed in the same white suit I was. His head was wrapped in gauze. 

"Thank god you're alive. You okay?" He just stared at me blankly. 

"Do you think she made it Jet?" He said. I knew who he was talking about. 

"Of course Kid. Mafia and Atomic are strong girls and they can handle themselves. I bet they already met back up with Poison and Ghoul." I felt bad lying to him, but I couldn't tell him that the only person he loved was more than likely dead by now. He smiled then his smile dissipated just as quickly as it came. 

"They aren't coming back for us…" He whispered. 

"Prolly not." I replied. It was the truth and we both knew it. Poison and Ghoul probably thought we were dead.

"Thought so…least they're safe." He turned his head and stared up at the ceiling. 

[Ghoul's P.O.V.]

I buried my face in Gee's chest, I felt bad that I was soaking his shirt with my tears. I couldn't help it though, we'd just lost half of our small family. Gerard lost his brother…I can't imagine what he's feeling. His grip tightened around my back. I pressed against him, my small baby bump lightly pressing into his stomach. I felt one of his hands slide from my back around to my stomach where he started to gently rub the baby. I looked up at his face and saw he was looking down at me, his cheeks were tear stained. 

"Gee…"

"Frankie..."

"I love you." 

"I love you too babe." He moved down until our lips met and he kissed me passionately. His eyes closed and I closed mine. We kissed for at least ten minutes before he fell asleep and I kissed him one more time before closing my eyes again and curling up as tightly as I could against him and falling asleep. 

[Atomic's P.O.V.]

I was bleary eyed…trudging through the desert sand, supporting Mafia against my good side. She had been crying for hours now, not knowing whether Kid and Jet had made it out. I had cried silently to myself, I had just lost one of my best friends…I had seen her lying there motionless on the floor. Now I didn't even know whether my other friends were still alive or not…Poison and Ghoul probably made it, but what about Jet and Kid? Sure they were really strong but there were so many Dracs, not to mention Korse was there. We trudged on, the night closing in fast. I spotted a large rock formation and headed for it. When we reached the rocks I leaned Mafia against them and then scouted them for a crevice or something that we could hide in. I found one that looked big enough for us to both hide in and I went back over to Mafia and helped her over to it. I helped into it then crawled in beside her. We laid in silence for what seemed like forever.

"Why does everyone have to keep dying around us?" Mafia asked, her voice was completely monotone. I knew her heart was probably broken in two because she'd lost Mikey. 

"I don't know Mafia…I don't know…" 

"Do you think they made it…Poison and Ghoul?" She was avoiding talking about Kid now, I didn't blame her. 

"I don't know for sure but I think they did. Poison would never let anything happen to Ghoul, especially now that he's pregnant with Poison's child." I started to wonder how Ghoul would look in a couple of months, I just couldn't picture him with a huge baby belly. It almost made me laugh just trying to picture it. 

"Atomic…" 

"Yeah Mafia?"

"Don't ever leave me." I heard the true meaning behind her words. She didn't want me to ever leave her alone by dying or anything. 

"Never." I whispered back to her before shutting my eyes and falling asleep.


	32. Chapter 32

[Ghoul's P.O.V.]

Morning came faster than I thought it would. I woke up when a ray of sunlight penetrated a hole in the blinds. I felt the urge to pee first thing so I slowly sat myself up, my pelvis protesting as I did. I slowly got up on my feet, holding in my gasps due to the fact that Gee was still sleeping soundly. Even in his sleep I could tell he was mourning the loss of his brother, his normally peaceful expression was marred by a frown. I cast my gaze downwards and walked out of the room with my head down. I headed straight to the bathroom. "This is all my fault." I reminded myself. "If I had just stayed and waited for Gerard then they would be alive, if I had just…I don't know…it's our fault." I unconsciously rubbed my stomach as I walked. 

"Good morning Ghoul…" I heard the low voice of Dr. D and saw him across the main room, just staring out the window. He was hurt, just as much as I was. I walked over to him. "Are you two alright?" He didn't even turn to look at me.

"Yeah Gerard and I-"

"No...you and the baby…are you two alright?" 

"Baby is fine…I'm well…I'm guessing you know how I feel." D just nodded, staring out the window still.

"Ghoul, promise me something…promise me that no matter what you will always protect your child and Gerard…that you'll protect your family." I saw a tear roll down his cheek. 

"I promise." I replied.

"I couldn't be there for my family…and now only two of my sons come home…" He started crying heavily. I stood behind him and wrapped my arms around him, comforting him as best I could. 

"It's not your fault…if anything it's mine…I-if I had just-" I was crying now too. 

"Don't. Don't you even blame yourself." He turned his wheelchair around to face me. He grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me down, I winced a bit and he relaxed. He was still crying heavily. "D-don't y-you e-ever blame yourself or that child f-for a-anything that h-happened." He choked out. He patted my shoulder then and turned his chair then rolled out of the room. I watched him go before looking out the window at the desert. I sighed and wiped away the tears rolling down my cheek and headed off to the bathroom, trying to keep my thoughts from lingering on yesterday's events. 

I quickly did my business and turned to the sink to wash my face and hands. I leaned over slightly, finding it a tiny bit more difficult due to the growing baby. I grabbed the bucket of water off the floor and dumped it into the sink, splashing my face with it. The water would just stay in the sink due to some unknown blockage in all the drains. I started to head out of the bathroom but the full length mirror on the wall caught my attention. I backed up and stood in front of it. From the front the bump was just barely noticeable, but when I turned to the side it was there…plain as day. I took off the shirt I had worn in Battery and cast it into the trashcan. It was funny cause now that my skin was stretching, my tattoos were too causing them to look a little funny. I stood there looking at myself sideways. "I still can't believe it…" I whispered to myself. "Even though you're right there I still cant believe it." I put my hand on the side of my stomach and right as I did I winced in pain. The pain didn't come from my hips though, it came from my stomach. I froze and looked at myself in the mirror. I looked back down and pressed my hand a little harder against my stomach. I almost jumped in shock due to the fact that I had felt a tiny nudge against my hand. "It moved…" I stood there in shock and then I snapped out of it and walked as fast as I could out of the bathroom towards the bedroom. I sat myself down on the bed next to Gee, my heart pounding with excitement. I gently shook his shoulder. "Gee…Gee…Gerard…WAKE UP!" 

"GAH!" He shot straight up, sitting upright in a flash. He looked around the room before his eyes settled on me, looking down my bare chest. "Kind of a rude wake up call…" He groaned, then rubbed his eyes.

"Gee!" I slapped his arm to get him to pay attention. 

"What? What's up?" He said it very monotone, I knew his mind was already flooding with the pain of losing his brother and our friends. 

"It moved!" I said, quickly trying to get his mind off of what happened yesterday. He turned and looked at me, what I was saying wasn't quite sinking in yet. I just stared back at him. He was still mostly asleep and sad, I could just tell, so I grabbed his hand and rested it against my stomach where the baby was pounding away at my insides. It took one minute for the baby to land another good one to my side and Gerard's eyes snapped fully opened. He stared at me, eyes wide. 

"Did-did it…it just moved right? I'm not going insane?" I smirked and chuckled. 

"No you just felt it...unless I'm going nuts too." The largest, most beautiful smile I had ever seen spread across his face. He moved his hands to my face and kissed me on the lips. I knew for a moment…just a moment…I had taken his mind off of his brother's death.


	33. Chapter 33

[Kid's P.O.V.]

Pain. That's all that registered in my mind at this precise moment. SMACK. "AGH!" I screamed out. The Drac standing in front of me landed another swift punch to the side of my face.

"How long are you going to keep this up Kid? I don't think your face can take much more without being permanently disfigured." I just glared at Korse, who was casually leaning against a wall nearby. 

"You might as well keep punching me then…I won't tell you where they are….EVER!" I spit at him. He smirked and nodded at the Drac and I received another swift punch to the face, blacking out. 

[Jet's P.O.V.]

"Come on Jet, you and I both know Kid can't take much more." The woman in front of me reminded me of a snake, the way she looked at me through squinted eyes. There was a monitor directly in front of her, showing me Kid in another room getting beaten up by a Drac. Though I wanted to just tell her the truth so they'd stop hurting Kid, I knew that Kid was stronger than they were giving him credit for. I shook my head no and received another long cut down my bare chest from her sword.

"Really…AGH….who uses a sword nowadays…pathetic…" I choked out, emitting gasps in between my words as she slid the blade down my skin another time. 

[Atomic's P.O.V.] 

"Uuuuuuggggggggghhhhhhhhh…" I groaned. The heat was unbearable as we trudged through the dirt. I was supporting Mafia with my good arm and she limped along beside me. The heat from our bodies and the sun made an extremely uncomfortable mix. What's worse is that we had no water, all of it had been stashed in the back of the van…of course the van was now somewhere with Ghoul and Poison. 

**_1 month later…_ **

[Ghoul's P.O.V.]

"Damnit." I turned side to side in the mirror. "Damnit!" 

"No matter how many times you say 'damnit' it's not going to go away." Gerard called out from the other room.

"SHUT UP!" I shouted back at him. 

"Frankie chill out." Gee walked into the bathroom.

"How can I chill out!? You made me fat!" I said seriously, but then at the same time Gerard and I both burst out laughing. I looked in the mirror again, standing sideways. The baby had grown a lot in the past month, now causing my stomach to stick out a good two or three inches over my pants. Gerard walked up to me and kneeled down in front of me. He tenderly placed his hands on either side of my stomach and leaned in laying kiss on it. He smirked then looked up at me. I just rolled my eyes and ruffled his hair. He stood up, his hands sliding up under my shirt until he slid it off of me, his hands continuing to brush over my skin up to my cheeks, then he leaned in and kissed me passionately. I smirked at him when he pulled away then I tangled my fingers in his hair and pulled his lips back against mine. His arms slid around my waist. 

"Ehem…" Someone cleared their throat and we both turned our heads to see Show Pony standing in the doorway of the bathroom. I blushed, my eyes returning to Gerard's. He smirked at me. 

"Well?" He said to Pony. Pony just smiled. 

"This is the bathroom…you only use it for one reason." Pony laughed. 

"Not anymore." Gee smirked and pressed his lips against mine again. His hand slid down my side and he pushed me up against the stall door behind me. I heard Pony silently exit the room. His hand then moved until he grabbed hold of my crotch. 

"GEE!" I moaned out. He smirked and resumed kissing me. 

"Oh dear god." We turned our heads when we heard Dr. D's voice. "I'm going to pretend that I didn't just see that."

"Heh, we do this all the time D." 

"Not in front of me you don't!" Dr. D snapped.

"Well that's because we're too busy in the car or in the bedroom or-" 

"ALRIGHT I GET IT! YOU TWO ARE BUSY BOYS!" Dr. D interrupted, looking very eager to end this conversation. 

"Well how do you think we got the baby in there?" Gee looked innocently at D. Dr. D just closed his eyes and took a deep breath, obviously not wanting to think about this. I giggled and Gee turned his gaze on me and he smiled. I winced a little when I was kicked in the side by the baby, basically saying "you woke me up now you're gonna pay for it." 

"Gerard…as much as I'd love to keep standing here, my hips are starting to really hurt and our kid just woke up." His hand moved to my stomach and he smiled. When I first met Gerard I always thought of him as this extremely tough guy who basically knew we were all dead anyways and didn't care, kind of person. Now though, after the time we've spent together and the shit we've gone through…he's the kindest person I've ever known, he was strong in the sense that even through all the shit he could still be this sweet person. I loved him for that, I loved him for giving me a life when I'd almost been a goner. I loved him for the child that was growing inside of me, his child. Everything…I have him to thank for everything I have. 

"Come on let's go sit down somewhere." He grabbed my hand and lead me out of the bathroom. He took me over to a booth that had no table and we sat down. I laid on the bench though, resting my head in his lap. He played with my hair for a bit before his hand moved to my stomach where he started rubbing my stomach with his fingers, tracing little circles on my skin.


	34. Chapter 34

[Kid's P.O.V.]

Staring. I'd been staring at the same wall for hours, days, months…who knew how long it'd been since they'd put me in here. I didn't even see a door to this room or an entrance of any sort, not even a single window. It was white from head to toe and the bright lights overhead cause it to hurt my eyes but I had nothing else to do but sit here and stare at the wall…I hadn't seen him since they captured us and brought us here. I don't know if he is even still alive…were any of them alive? Gerard and Frank…did they even make it out of the city? And Atomic and…Mafia…were they alive? I had my doubts that they even made it close to escaping. I missed her…I missed my Mafia, I miss them all. They were my family all of them, even the baby growing inside of Frank felt important to me already. I wonder what Frank looks like now…if he and Gerard are still alive that is. Tears streamed down my cheeks. I couldn't think that they were dead…they'd just started a family together, they can't be dead. I heard the click of a door and saw a portion of the wall open slightly, the Drac opening it set down a disgusting looking tray of food…not much worse than dog food though.

"Go on, eat it." The Drac kicked the tray towards me and I just stared at it and then turned away.

"No thanks I'd like to keep my sanity thank you very much." Everything edible here was probably laced with drugs. I heard him stomp up behind me and then he slammed me against the wall. 

"You're going to die either way you fucking dog." He growled in my ear. 

"Sounds like you haven't been doing your medicine asshole." I spat back.

"I would never take those disgusting pills." His tone of voice changed. "Never Mikey." My eyes went wide. The Drac's grip loosened and he spun me around. I watched his hand go up and grab the top of his mask then pull it off. 

"RAY!" I shouted and he clapped a hand over my mouth.

"Shhh." He spat but then smiled and removed his hand.

"How'd you get that uniform?"

"Easy, I beat the crap out of a Drac until he was unrecognizable and then switched places with him. I've been 'free' for about three weeks now." Three weeks? Well then why the hell hadn't he tried to save me earlier? I felt anger well up inside of me. 

"Then why didn't you come for me sooner…" I questioned and his face dropped.

"I couldn't Mikey…only special units get access to this part of the facility. I had to work my way up a bit to get access. I'm sorry but I couldn't blow my cover for both our sakes." I understood a little but still…why wouldn't he just break me out? We never followed orders. "I know what you're thinking Mikey but I had to follow their orders…I was trying to find out more information about their plans as well and in turn…I learned about the experiment they did on Frank. I took the file…" Ray turned and locked the door using some weird key then opened his jacket and pulled out a white folder.

"Why does everything have to be white?" I groaned.

"Apparently it keeps people from being individuals." Ray said, opening the file then handing it to me. "Go ahead, read it, but I have to go before they get suspicious." I nodded and quickly hugged Ray. I felt his hand press something against my chest and I looked down and saw my red ray gun. "Keep it hidden Mikey. Be safe please." He pulled the stupid Drac mask on and then hurried out of the room. I took my ray gun and turned the safety on then slipped it into my boot and sat down with the folder in hand. I opened the folder and pulled out the first sheet of paper. It was a list of names under different experiment categories. I read through the names before my gaze landed on one under the category for male pregnancy.

**IERO, FRANK**

"So, Frank really was one of their experiments." I read through some more names and sections till my eyes read the next section of names under a new category.

**SUBJECTS BEING HELD FOR FUTURE EXPERIMENTATION:**

I looked through the names and froze when my eyes reached the T's. 

**TORO, RAY**

They had Ray on their list. He was being held as one of their experiments? When? Did Ray know about this? Did he lie to us? No it doesn't matter, I trust Ray with me life but this is not good, if they find out that Jet and Ray are one in the same there could be major problems. My eyes scrolled further down the list and my jaw dropped when I saw an all too familiar last name. 

**WAY, GERARD  
WAY, MICHAEL**

I sat there in shock until I heard the click of a door again. I shoved the folder in my jacket and sat with my back pressed up against the wall. A pair of Dracs came into the room dragging a small figure in between them. 

"Stupid child!" They shouted and threw the small figure to the floor in front of me and then left the room. I watched the small figure scramble to its knees and then sat against the opposite wall, still not noticing me, and tucked its legs up to its chest. The wild fro on the kid's head reminded me of Ray's and I smirked but it faded quickly. I noticed the clothes the child was wearing, bright and colorful. A Killjoy? So young…

"Uh…ehem…" The kid's face shot up to look at mine and I noticed it was a girl. She scrambled farther away from me. I got up and walked slowly towards her. "Hey hey it's alright. I'm a Killjoy." Her eyes scanned my clothes then she shot up and rushed up to me, her arms wrapping around my waist. She cried into my stomach. I stood there for a minute before kneeling down to look her straight in the face. 

"You're K-K-Kobra K-K-Kid." I was shocked. 

"Uh yeah…how'd you know that?" 

"Party P-Poison has been broadcasting over the radio looking for you…" She cried into my shoulder, wrapping her arms around my neck. 

"He-He's alive?!" I almost shouted and the girl stepped back to look at me. 

"Uh…yes…he and Ghoul have been looking for you and Jet for weeks, but you're here…" A huge smiled spread across my face. Gee's alive and so is Frankie. I pulled the girl into a tight hug, I couldn't thank her enough for telling me this. 

"Thank you…thank you so much…" I cried into her hair.


	35. Chapter 35

[Ghoul's P.O.V.]

"Kid if you're hearing this message please respond. If you don't…just respond godamnit." Gee had been broadcasting twice a day everyday for the past week. I'd helped a little bit, but sitting around was really getting on my nerves. I had built way too many explosives, much to Gee's distaste, to count behind the diner. D just sat in his wheelchair, staring out the window, since we came back. We'd lost lots of Killjoys but we were the only ones close to Dr. D., we were the only family he had left. I turned and left Poison in the radio room and headed back into the main dining area and stopped to look out the window on the front door. 

"Ghoul." Show Pony's voice made me jump. I turned to look at him and saw the somber expression on his face. "I'm going back to Battery City." My eyes went wide.

"What!?" I gasped. "Are you nuts!?" He clamped his hand over my mouth.

"Shh. I can't stand to see D like this." We both turned and looked at D, who was staring blankly out the window on the other side of the diner. "I'm going to go find Kid and Jet. I'll start looking outside of Battery then I'll go in if I can't find any trace of them." My thoughts drifted to Gee. He was upset too, more than he'd admit. 

"I'll go too." I whispered. 

"Oh no you won't!" Pony snapped. "Not in your condition." He pointed to my protruding stomach for emphasis. 

"Look, Poison is hurt by this just as much as D. It was my fault Pony…I need to fix this. Don't argue please." I glared at him. He was about to protest but then stopped. 

"Fine, just remember if you die…so does your child. Think of how that will destroy Poison." My heart hurt suddenly with that realization. I shook it off though.

"This is his brother we are talking about Pony. Jet and Kid are my best friends. I need to find them. They didn't sacrifice themselves just to be forgotten and left behind." Pony just stared at me. "When are we leaving?"

"Now preferably, while they aren't paying attention." I gulped. 

"Okay, let me grab my stuff. Meet you in the Am." 

"Ghoul we don't have to go now I mean if you need some time-" 

"No. We wait and I won't be able to go. Plus there's no guarantee that Kid and Jet will last any longer…" 

"What about Poison?"

"He'll just have to understand why I am doing this…I'll leave him a note." Pony nodded and left the room. I went to the "bedroom" and grabbed my duffel bag of clothes, still unpacked from the last visit to Battery. I grabbed my vest and pulled it on over the plain black shirt I had to wear now to accommodate the growing child within me. The vest wouldn't close over the bump so I left it open. I grabbed my ray gun in its holster and slung the strap of the holster over my shoulder. Pony walked in and grabbed my bag.

"Go say goodbye to Poison, without really saying it…y'know what I mean." He bladed out of the room. I took a deep breath and walked out of the room towards the radio room. I walked up behind Gee and put my hand on his shoulder, putting on a fake smile. He turned around in the chair and pulled me on to his lap. He rested his chin on my shoulder and wrapped his arms around my abdomen, the tips of his fingers just barely touching on my stomach. He rubbed my belly with his hands. 

"I can't wait to see our child Ghoul…three more months and he or she will be here." My heart pounded at the thought. 

"So soon…" I placed my hands on top of Gee's. The baby moved and I winced. I looked at Gee and he was just smiling widely. This was his favorite thing to do now, sit and feel the baby move. He'd sit and put his hand on my stomach out of impulse, much like Crash had. My heart sank, just thinking about them made me start to cry. I moved my hand to wipe away my tears. 

"What's the matter Frankie?" Gee said soothingly. 

"I just…I wish they were here Gee…" I let the tears fall, it felt better than holding them in. 

[Atomic's P.O.V.]

We'd been sitting here for almost a month now, almost completely inactive. Mafia didn't speak anymore so it was entirely quiet. Kid really had a good hold on her heart and now that he was gone, she just couldn't operate anymore. We were lucky that no Dracs had come looking for us yet. We were back in our little shack, hiding in the dark like vampires. A few more Killjoys had moved into the area and we had all helped each other with getting food and providing protection. 

"Hey Mafia." I nudged her leg with my foot and she opened one eye to look at me. 

"We have to go back to the diner at some point y'know. Poison and Ghoul probably think we're dead." She just rolled her eye at me as a single tear rolled out of the corner of it. Every time I mentioned anything that could possibly relate to Kid, she'd start to cry. "Mafia, do you think Kid would want you to sit here and waste away while the rest of the world still needs saving? Honestly, I don't think he'd be very happy with you right now." I'd said these kinds of things multiple times but they had no effect. She was utterly heartbroken. "Still not talking? Fine…it's not like I lost my best friends too y'know." I walked out of the shack into the bright sunshine. 

[Ghoul's P.O.V.]

The words were harder to say than I thought. "I'll see you later Party…Pony and I are going for a walk." 

"You're going back to calling me Party after at least two months of calling me Gee? What's up Frankie, where are you really going." I froze up but quickly relaxed myself.

"Gee…I'm going for a walk with Pony. I need to get out of this dumb diner for a while! I'm going stir crazy!" He looked at me for a few minutes before deciding I was telling the truth. 

"Okay…please for the love of God be safe." I got up to leave but he stood up and grabbed my hand. He spun me around and pulled me into his arms. He leaned down slightly and kissed me and I kissed him back. His hands trailed down my back before sliding around to my stomach. He kneeled down and placed a kiss on my stomach too. I could feel my cheeks redden as a huge smile broke out across my face. I love him so much. He stood up and kissed me one more time. I giggled.

"Gee, you keep kissing me like this and I'll never leave the diner." 

"And that's such a bad thing?" He whispered.

"Well it is when you're going insane." I smirked. He kissed me again before I turned and left the room. As soon as I was in the main dining area, tears started streaming down my face. I'd either come back alive or in a body bag, if I come back at all that is. I walked outside and saw Pony sitting in the driver's seat and I quickly hurried over to the passenger seat and climbed in. 

"You ready?" 

"Just go." I snapped. I wanted this over with, I wanted to be back before a month goes by. In a month I'd be huge and I didn't particularly want to waddle around Battery City like a big neon sign for Korse, saying "FUN GHOUL RIGHT HERE!"


	36. Chapter 36

[Poison's P.O.V.]

"Frank? Frank are you here?" It had been a while since Frank and Pony left to get out of the diner for a bit. I walked around the entire diner, checking every room. I opened the bathroom door, half expecting to see him standing there stroking his stomach. To my great disappoint he wasn't there either. I walked back out into the main diner area. D was sitting there staring out the window. "D…have you seen Frank anywhere?" He turned to look at me and then looked back out the window. 

"I dunno where they went…they took the Trans Am though." My eyes went wide and I rushed outside into the heat. The tire treads were clearly visible in the dirt that now resided over the old concrete. 

"FRANK! FRANK!" I shouted out desperately. I knew he was not here but I was hoping Pony had gone alone in the Am. "Frank…" Why would he lie to me? He said they were going for a walk, which was fine because they did that sometimes…we never took the car anymore unless...I ran back inside and flew to the radio room. I yanked the headphones on and turned the dials to get 109 In The Sky going. I grabbed the mic and started shouting out his name through it. 

"Party…" Came his response through the microphone we had installed in the car to communicate with one another. 

"Ghoul where the hell are you?" 

"Sitting in the car obviously." I could picture him rolling his eyes in my mind. 

"You know what I mean. Where are you exactly Ghoul?" 

"Sorry can't give that information out over the radio its not safe. Listen, we're fine…if I told you where I was you would just come looking for me. Don't. Just wait for me where you are. Please…be safe." 

"GHOUL!" I shouted but there was no response except for static. He'd disconnected his end. 

[Ghoul's P.O.V.]

I felt like the biggest asshole in the world. I hate myself for doing this to Gee, leaving him without a clue where I am, but I was going to get his brother and Ray back no matter what. 

"Ghoul you wanna drive for a bit?" Pony pulled off the road and put the car in park. I nodded and we both got out of the car. "It'll be better in case we have to fight back, I don't want you getting shot at." I rolled my eyes. 

"I'm perfectly capable of handling myself thank you very much." Pony just laughed and sat down in the passenger seat as I sat down in the driver seat. I had to move the steering wheel up a bit so it wasn't pressing against my stomach. 

"You're getting pretty big there." Pony said. I looked at him and he was looking at my stomach. I followed his eyes and place my hand on my stomach and rubbed it gently. 

"Yeah that and the fact that I am getting constantly pounded from the inside by the baby's feet." A nudge against my hand backed up my statement. Another hand came into view and rested on my stomach. The baby kicked Pony's hand and I looked at him, a smile spread across his face. 

"That's so weird but amazing all at once." Pony said as he smiled. 

"Yeah…its definitely weird. Okay so what's the plan? Should we change clothes now or later?" 

"We still have a good hour drive till we are directly outside of Battery so we'll change there. We can hide the car with some fellow Killjoys I know who would be willing to help. They are practically camping right outside Battery's walls." I nodded. 

"Sounds like a plan, let's go." I put the car in drive and sped back on to the road. I heard a chuckle escape Pony's mouth and I glanced at him. "What?" 

"Nothing…you're just cute driving." 

"Whhhyyyyy???" I glared at him.

"Cause you're so short." He snorted and I balled up my right hand and punched him in the arm. "Haha take it easy you little hobbit!" 

"HOBBIT!!!!????!!!!!" I growled and smacked him again. 

"Yeah! You're like Frodo Baggins in that old movie Lord Of The Rings. Remember it?" He laughed. 

"Yes and I am not that short! GAH!" I snorted like an angry bull and gripped the steering wheel like my life depended on it. "Hobbit…psh…stupid little asshole…" I growled under my breath. 

[Kid's P.O.V.]

Grace…that was her name. Least that's what she told me. 

"Kid?" I turned to look at her, she was huddled up in the corner of the room. 

"What's up Grace?" 

"Do you think we will ever get out of this room?" She had the saddest look on her face, meaning she probably already knew the answer I was going to give.

"Sorry Grace, but I don't think so. Jet is doing everything he can to figure out a way to get us out of here without causing a commotion, but I just don't think that's going to happen." 

"What are they like? Ghoul, Poison, and Jet? I mean we hear you guys on the radio all the time. You're like the leaders of all the Killjoys." She smiled at me and I smiled back. 

"They are the nicest guys you will ever know. Poison and Ghoul are something else. Ghoul is a bit of a nutcase sometimes and he's short, likes to build explosives and shoot Dracs. Poison is definitely the leader of our group. He always knows what to do and when to do it and he has a big heart. He takes care of everyone like a dad would." I froze and smiled even wider. Gerard will become a true father in a matter of months and I will be an uncle. 

"Kid?" I looked back up at Grace.

"Sorry, Jet is a technical mastermind. He can fix practically anything, but he doesn't talk much. He's like a silent genius." 

"What about you?" She stared straight into my eyes. 

"Me? Well I guess I am the sticky glue that holds us all together. I pretty much fix relationship issues if they rise up and I guess I'm pretty good with a ray gun but that's about it." 

"You're also kind and sweet too." She giggled and blushed. 

"Haha thanks Grace. What about you? What are you like?" She stared at me for a moment then looked down and twiddled her thumbs. 

"I'm boring…I just provided a radio for the Killjoy group I was with…none of them really liked me and they always told me that I was a hassle." A tear streamed down her face. "My own family didn't want me so why should anyone else?" That hurt me just as much as it hurt her. I crawled over to her and held her in my arms as she cried. 

"We're not like them Grace. You can come with us and be part of our group if we get out of here. I won't leave you behind. I promise." I held her tight, burying my face in her fluffy hair.


	37. Chapter 37

[Jet's P.O.V.]

"Unit 6 goes to Zone 1 today." A man standing next to me said as he pulled on his white suit. I was already fully dressed in my white suit, wearing my ridiculous Draculoid mask, which is at the top of my list of "things to burn." I just nod at the guy, not willing to talk to any of these assholes because of the fact that they probably killed dozens of our friends at some point in time. "Korse is still trying to find the Killjoy leaders, wonder why he wants that one so badly." That got my attention and I turned my head to look at him through the eyeholes. 

"Which one?"

"Oh right you're new. He has been on a mission to capture this Killjoy who calls himself Fun Ghoul. Dunno why, but he's pretty adamant about it. Keeps telling us that 'time is of the essence.' The Killjoys…" His voice drops to a whisper. "I don't see what's so bad about them…they are people just like us, but they aren't afraid to be different. What's so wrong about that?" I just stared at him. Was he just fucking around with me or was he speaking his mind? 

"I'd watch what you say." Another Drac nearby spoke up. 

"Yeah yeah or Korse will have my ass, I understand dipshit." This was the weirdest thing to me when I infiltrated the Dracs, I learned that they eat and drink foods that are completely drug free and they actually aren't allowed to take the drugs. They, along with S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W are amongst the only few that aren't allowed to have them because they need to have a clear head when fighting Killjoys, to be able to explore every possibility. 

"UNIT SIX TO THE DOCKING STATION, UNIT SIX TO THE DOCKING STATION." That horrendous voice came over the speakers. 

"Well, looks like it's time to take off. Let's go kill some Killjoys!" One guy said enthusiastically. The guy I had been standing near let his head drop though and I could see his shoulders sag slightly. 

[Pony's P.O.V.] 

Ghoul was making me nervous. Practically every other minute his hands would quickly move from being crossed over his chest to resting on either side of his stomach. He kept telling me to relax, that it was just the baby moving, but what the hell did I know? 

"Pony, I'm fine. Just chill." He said for quite possibly the billionth time. We had switched seats again after he had driven for about an hour and a half and finally couldn't handle driving and dealing with a rambunctious child inside of him at the same time. 

"Well you're making me nervous." I turned my eyes back to the road and as I drove through the dark I caught sight of a small blinking blue light. "There they are!" I said happily and increased the speed of the car. Just as I said it I caught sight of a dull glow on the other side of the small hill in the road. "CAR!" I shouted and Ghoul immediately reclined his chair and laid back as low as he could. I switched the headlights off and took my foot off the gas, swerving quickly off the road into god knows what. The Trans Am protested as it ran over possible bushes. I hit the brakes a moment later and switched the car off. I held my breath, looking out the driver's side window, watching the dull glow get brighter and brighter. The car appeared over the side, a white van to be exact. As it passed behind us I could vaguely make out the group number at the top of the back doors. It said "Unit 6." They were headed to the outskirts of Zone 1, where the diner was. I prayed then for Dr. D and Poison to be careful. 

[Poison's P.O.V.]

I stared at the radio. It was quiet…not even a hint of static came through the headphones. I took them off sighing as I did. My heart was pounding and my emotions were running wild. I stood up angrily and walked over to the broken window, slamming my fist into the wall next to it. I was angry that Frank just up and left, worried about him and our child, and sad that he had basically told me he was leaving and I didn't pay attention enough to hear what he was saying. To top it all off I had no clue where he was, but I had a pretty good idea of where he was headed. I had a feeling deep in my gut that they were headed to Battery City. 

"Poison it isn't healthy to worry so much." I jumped at the voice. I recognized it immediately but it couldn't be…she was dead. I turned slowly to face the owner of the voice and sure enough there she was…as clear as day, standing in front of me in the doorway. Atomic. She smirked widely and my jaw dropped. "ATOMIC! YOU'RE ALIVE!" I rushed over to her and pulled her into a tight hug, squeezing her as hard as I could, tears of joy seeping out of the corners of my eyes and streaming down my face. 

"Gah…can't…breathe…" She choked out and I let her go. She took a step back and smiled at me, her eyes red and cheeks tear stained. "I'm-I'm so glad you're okay." She sniffled and I nodded and pulled her into a gentler hug. We stood there for a few minutes, reveling in the fact that the other was alive. She pulled back first and smiled. 

"Atomic…how?" I questioned, clearly remembering that her and Mafia had been hurt in the fight at the hotel and I honestly thought they'd never make it out.

"Your-your brother saved us…Mikey saved us." Fresh tears spilled down her face and my heart sank into my stomach. 

"Is he…dead?" I could feel the massive swell of tears building up in my eyes and the gut wrenching feeling was increasing in intensity. 

"I-I don't know Gee…I don't know. He pushed us out the hotel and then shut the door…I don't know what happened to him and Jet." She cried and I just stumbled backwards until the back of my knees connected with the desk chair and I fell back into it, my cheeks wet with fresh tears. 

[Kid's P.O.V.]

"Kid?" I turned my head to look at Grace. I smiled at her, she smiled slightly back. "Kid…I'm hungry." She said for about the millionth time.

"I know you are but there's nothing I can do about it Grace. I don't know when Jet will be back and I just know that the Dracs here could care less." I said, staring off into space. I hadn't see Jet in a few days and he said he'd be back in like three days, today being the last day. I grabbed hold of the small radio Grace had coaxed the guard into lettering her have back. I turned the dials around and around and around but to no avail, no static…nothing. Just silence. 

[Ghoul's P.O.V.]

"UGH!" I groaned for the billionth time. It was so freaking quiet at this camp. The Killjoys we had met up with were just about the quietest people you could ever meet. They all stared at me too when I had taken my shirt off earlier to dunk it in some water to cool myself off. I didn't blame them I mean come on! I'm a guy and I'm pregnant! Anyone would stare and gawk at something like that, but nonetheless it was irritating. 

"I second that. Come on guys what's with the silent treatment?" Pony spoke up. "You were always the noisiest group in all the zones and now you're being perfectly silent. What's up?"

"It's him." A girl motioned towards me, I could hear the malice in her voice. I stood up and walked closer to the group, staring her down as I sat in the dirt. 

"What about me?" I questioned. She didn't look at me though, she kept her eyes on Pony.

"Pony…Hidalgo is dead because of him." Pony's eyes widened and I stared at him, my eyes searching for answers. I watched a silent stream of tears flow down his cheeks. 

"How is that any of my fault?" I looked at the girl questioningly. 

"Cause of that child growing inside of you my brother is dead. They came for you Ghoul! That wanted you and we wouldn't tell them where you were and so they killed him! They killed my brother because of you! YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!" She went to punch me but I was up on my feet, gun raised at her head faster than she could get up, much to my surprise. 

"Back off." I growled, her team members pulled her down. I slowly lowered my gun, relaxing only slightly. Oh yeah…they were gonna be a big help.


	38. Chapter 38

[Ghoul's P.O.V.]

"Calm down Atom. This isn't Ghoul's or anyone else's fault." Pony snapped at her and she looked down at the dirt then her eyes flashed up to me and she glared. That glare hit a nerve and I got up and pushed past Pony, grabbing the front of her shirt and slamming her back up against the Trans Am that was behind her. "Ghoul! Stop it! Let her go!" Pony came up and grabbed my arm and pulled me back from her. 

"Bitch." I growled under my breath and it stunned her for a minute. I turned and followed Pony in the opposite direction of the group. I could already tell he was gonna have a "talk" with me. 

"So that's how the great Fun Ghoul is huh? One of the top Killjoys seems to be no better than Korse himself!" She shouted. I froze, anger building up inside of me. I ripped my hand my Pony's grasp and grabbed my gun again, swinging it around and firing it. I watched the white hot laser fly by her neck, narrowly missing her flesh by an inch. Her hair wasn't so lucky though. She didn't move a muscle, she just stood there stunned. 

"You ever compare me to that son of a bitch again and I won't hesitate in making you bleed." I growled. Pony grabbed my arm and yanked me more aggressively away from the group. 

"Ghoul you need to calm down. All your stressing-"

"I know. It isn't good for the baby, but I'm not gonna sit around and let some girl I don't even know talk about me that way. She doesn't know the hell we've been through!" I sat down in the dirt and Pony sat next to me. I placed one hand on my stomach and rubbed it absent mindedly. 

"These Killjoys…Ghoul they have lost a lot. Their group leader abandoned them to go and find these two Killjoys that were out in the desert by themselves. You actually know-knew…them…" Pony dropped his head. "Atomic was more than just a leader though…she was a friend, almost family to most of these people. She brought them all together and kept them alive long enough for them to learn all that they needed to know. She single handedly saved them all from various fights with Dracs. She left them though…she left them for-"

"Crash and Mafia." I said quietly. 

"Yeah…she had heard them broadcasting from an old gas station radio and went to find them. She never came back to the group though, she stayed with Crash and Mafia. Guess she found something in them that she didn't have here. Listen though…don't let your hormones get the best of you. When I told these guys that you were coming with me, they were honestly ecstatic. Then after I talked to them they were attacked by a group of Dracs and they lost Hidalgo…he was my best friend from the good old days…" Pony stared up at the stars above us and my own followed his gaze, landing on the formation of Orion's Belt. "Ghoul, they need a leader. They need you more than they care to admit, so please…please just deal with them and help them through this. Please." 

"I'll do what I can Pony, but I am definitely not the best leader…Party should be here to do that kind of thing." I let my head drop forward at the mention of his name. He probably hated me right now for just leaving him. I looked down at the protrusion that was my stomach and rubbed it with both hands. I smiled when the baby responded. Ever since we'd left the baby had been hyperactive. "You miss your daddy already don't you?" I whispered. A small kick to my side was the baby's response. "We'll go home as soon as we can little one…just hang on for me." I laid back in the dirt, staring at the stars before letting my eyes close and I drifted off to sleep. 

[Mafia's P.O.V.]

Atomic had left a few days ago to go to the diner. She'd begged me to go with her, but I couldn't move a muscle…I couldn't go back there. Everything reminded me of Kid and my heart felt like it had literally been ripped in half. I just sat here, my hand scribbling out drawings all over an old magazine cover. I didn't think any more I just did. Thinking was too painful right now because it only ever left me crying. 

"Hey, come on. You need to get your butt out here and help us out." I looked up at the grey eyed, black haired boy kneeling in front of me. He smiled and grabbed my hand, pulling me to my feet. I don't know what it was about him, but whenever he came to check up on Atomic and I…he just…he was the only one who could get me out of this dark room. "Come on Mafia! Get your feet movin!" He pulled me quickly towards the door. 

"Hey! Slow down!" 

[Kid's P.O.V.]

"Look Kid. I'm sorry alright. I couldn't get in yesterday cause they sent my unit out into the desert! I'm sorry!" Jet was frantically apologizing to me as I just sat there and stared at him. 

"Just drop it and be quiet. Did you find out anything else about the experiments?" He shrugged. 

"All I know is that for some reason Korse really wants to get his hands on Ghoul. Not sure why though, but I'm guessing it has something to do with the baby." He leaned against the wall, folding his arms. Grace sat in the corner on the opposite side of the room, playing with the knobs on her radio as I sat and ate what little was left over from letting her eat most of it. There was a beeping noise and Jet pulled out a strange looking pager type thing. "I gotta run guys, they'll come looking for me if I don't respond." I nodded at him and he silently left the room.


	39. Chapter 39

[Ghoul's P.O.V.]

"You need to go apologize." Pony said for the fiftieth time.

"Why should I? She started it!" 

"Yeah and you violently ended it. You're just a bit hormonal and you overreacted." Pony's eyes glanced down to my stomach. I folded my arms, annoyed.

"I'm just a bit pissed off." I growled under my breath. Right then the baby kicked my side and my anger died down. "Fine." Pony looked at me confused.

"Just like that?"

"Just like that..." I said, unfolding my arms and walking past him back towards the camp. I grumbled the whole ten-minute walk back to the camp. I looked ahead of me at the campsite, smiling slightly as I heard laughter amongst the Killjoys, something we had definitely not had in a long time. I missed the laughter that used to be so common in our group, but as the years passes it grew less and less frequent. I had the Dracs and Korse to thank for that. Sons of bitches. I approached the group, my nerves growing as the laughing stopped at my approach. I took a deep breath before looking at Atom. She was glaring at me, her eyes looked dark and unforgiving. "Atom…you don't have to accept it, but I'm sorry." I looked down at the ground when she didn't move, eyes still burning holes in my face. I turned to walk back where Pony was sitting. 

"Ghoul." I heard Atom speak up and I turned partially to look at her. She stood up and walked over to me. "I should be the one apologizing. I…I was just so upset and Korse said he was after you so I-" 

"Save it…I know. It's okay. We all just need to remember that we're on the same side here. We all want the same thing, to take down BL/ind. Especially Korse and his mindless team of Dracs. So that's what we're gonna do." I put my hand on her shoulder and it was only then that I realized how young she was. She could only be ten or eleven. She nodded then wrapped her arms around my waist, well…as much as she could. I smirked to myself that there was a Killjoy out there shorter than me. I giggled quietly and Atom looked up questioningly. "Sorry just not used to being around someone who's shorter than me." At that everyone started laughing and the mood lightened up. I went and sat down on the ground near the fire, Atom sitting beside me.

"So Ghoul," The Killjoy named Battery Bomb, teenage boy about 18 years old with bright green hair, spoke up. "It's been on my mind since I saw you…this is so awkward but…how…how is that baby, y'know, coming out?" Everyone was silent and staring at me as I mentally freaked out. I knew surgery but thinking about it just…just…

"Ghoul? You okay?" Atom spoke up but I didn't have time to answer before I passed out. 

[Poison's P.O.V.]

"Surrounded. Yup, definitely surrounded." D said for the hundredth time. 

"D, you aren't helping the situation." I growled under my breath. We were hiding in the stalls in the bathroom. I had to take D out of his wheelchair and put him on the closed toilet sideways, propping his legs up against the side of the stall. I was crouched down on the closed toilet in the first stall. We had heard a car coming and I had practically bounded out the door to see if Ghoul had come back, but I spotted the white van before it spotted me. Atomic had hidden in the ceiling ducts alongside the water jugs. 

BANG! I heard the front door slam open, glass falling out of it's already partially broken window. 

"This way." I heard a Drac speak up. 

"I'll go this way." Another said. 

"I'll check the restrooms, have to go anyways." 

"Should have gone before you left, Korse might not be happy that you're wasting time." 

"Well good thing Korse isn't here." I froze up, holding my breath as I listened to the footsteps grow closer, then I heard them speed up and the bathroom door opened then shut and…locked? That's odd. Why would he lock the door? I mean there are stalls in here…must be shy. 

"Alright I know you're hiding in here because normally all the stall doors are open Poison." How would he know that? I slowly put my feet down and opened the stall door, stepping out with gun raised and pointed at the Drac. I was shocked when I saw him casually leaning against the door, gun laid at his feet. 

"You're stupid to be unarmed." I snapped at him, looking him up and down through the eye holes in my mask to see if I could see a concealed weapon. 

"Stop looking Poison, I'm not armed." 

"You're not my friend so stop saying my name." I growled moving my finger to the trigger to threaten him. His hand lashed out and he held up and all too familiar looking blue raygun. Jet! "Where did you get that?" I snapped at him, anger building up by the second. 

"It's mine." He said as his hand went up to the top of his mask. I watched as he took it off and I dropped my raygun in shock. "Hey Gerard." He smiled.

"Ray!?" He smiled again and I ran over to him throwing my arms around his shoulders. He hugged me back quickly and I stepped back to look at him. He looked fine, not drugged or anything. "Why-why are you dressed like them? Why are you with them?"

"I had to join them so I could get access to the cell they are holding Mikey in." My heart jumped and the biggest grin spread across my face. Tears fell down my cheeks. 

"He's alive?" I choked out. 

"Yes, he's alive. There's a young girl name Grace that's trapped in there too. She's the youngest Killjoy I've ever seen. I've been digging up info on Frank too. What I found…it's bad Gerard. There's a list of people who were experimented on and a list of people that were scheduled to be experimented on. Frank was definitely a subject of their experimentation…and you, Mikey, and I were on the list." Something fell behind me and I turned to see Atomic drop down out of the ceiling duct. 

"ATOMIC!" Ray said in surprise. 

"JET!" She ran over and hugged him. 

"Is…is Mafia alive too?" Atomic took a step back and nodded. 

"She won't leave the shack anymore though…she thinks that Kid is dead but when I tell her he's alive she will be so happy!" 

"Thank god! I thought we were all dead but-oh…nevermind…" He froze up and we all looked at each other with sad glances. One of us did die and we'd left her body in the hands of the Dracs.

"Uh guys…I could use some help here and you might wanna keep it down cause there are still some Dracs here." D's voice emanated from the closed second stall. 

"Heh. Sorry D." 

[Kid's P.O.V.]

"I got it!" Grace exclaimed. "I got my radio to connect to 109, but they aren't broadcasting. It's just static." 

"Any way we could broadcast over the frequency to them?" 

"I can try." Grace was determined to help out the, as she put it, fabulous Killjoys, in any way she could. 

"You're awesome Grace. Far better with this stuff than I am." 

"Yeah but you're a better fighter, which means you'll live longer." She sounded so mature when she talked like that. Damn Dracs stole her childhood. 

"I won't let anything happen to you Grace." 

"It wouldn't matter if anything did. Nobody wants a little girl tagging along…I'll only slow you down." She said, not even looking up from working on the radio. I shuddered at the way she spoke. Her utter acceptance of death frightened me. She'd obviously been through a lot in her young life. 

"Grace, look at me." She looked up at me and I put my hand on her shoulder. "I will NEVER leave you behind. You're family already and you will make it out of here with me. We'll both get out or go down together. I promise." She smiled and stood up and hugged me. I hugged her back. A tear ran down my cheek, I had a feeling that the latter was more likely.


	40. Chapter 40

[Ghoul's P.O.V.]

"Ugh, I'm full." I leaned against the tire of the Trans Am, my hand resting on my stomach, rubbing in small circles. 

"Yeah you only had about two and a half cans by yourself." Pony laughed. 

"Be quiet! I'm eating for two here!" I motioned to my swollen abdomen, then gently layed another hand on it. The baby landed a swift kick to my stomach and I thought I was gonna throw up for a second. "Ugh…" 

"Ghoul you alright? You're looking a little green." Pony put a hand on my shoulder. 

"I'm good. Baby just kicked my stomach and I thought I was gonna lose my dinner for a sec." Pony made a disgusted face and I punched him in the arm. Pony took his hand from my shoulder but held it out still. 

"Can-Can I feel it?" Pony asked nervously and I laughed then grabbed his hand and placed it where the baby was currently using my stomach as a punching bag. Pony sat in silence for a second before his head snapped up and he looked into my eyes then a smile broke out across his face. "That's-WOW!" He laughed and the entire group of Killjoys around me laughed too. At that moment I wished more than anything that Gerard was here. My face dropped and I could feel the build up of tears in my eyes. I put my hand back on my stomach and rubbed small circles, hoping to calm myself down but to no avail. I moved to stand up but I found it hard to get up on my own. 

"Pony…" I whispered and held my hand out. He knew what I wanted and quickly stood up then grabbed my hand and yanked me on to my feet. I turned around and opened the passenger side door of the Trans Am and got in the car, shutting the door behind me. I carefully crawled into the back seat of the car and spread out across the bench seat. I turned on my side, trying to relieve my back of a little of the pressure. I put my nose into the fabric of the seat, the smell of sex was permanantely fused with the fabric. I smiled at the many memories I had with Gerard in the back seat of this car. One of those times was probably when the child inside of me was conceived. Great I can tell my kid one day that he was conceived in the backseat of a Trans Am. I rolled my eyes at myself. "I wish you were here Gee." I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep. 

[Poison's P.O.V.]

"D for the billionth time there is no way that we'll be able to take you." I sighed and crossed my arms. I was standing in a monkey suit, my ray gun was tucked down into my boot, I was irritated because I wanted nothing more than to just leave and find Frank, and on top of it all D was arguing with me that he had to go. 

"I'm not a child, Gerard Arthur Way." My head snapped up and I looked at him. 

"How-" 

"Gerard, I've known you longer than you remember. I used to live next door and babysit you when you and Mikey were just kids. I've watched you grow into the man you are today. I know that you want don't want me to go cause I'll slow you down but-" 

"That's not-" I began to interrupt. 

"GERARD! I'm not going to slow you down. I'm going to stay with the group of Killjoys lead by Hidalgo." Behind D I saw Atomic's eyes widen and her relaxed stance instantly became rigid. "They're right outside of Battery City. I have a feeling Pony and Ghoul may have stopped there anyways and I cant stay here and wait while everyone I love is out there. I have had enough of waiting." I looked at D and sighed, he knew I'd give in if it meant finding Frank. 

"Fine. Jet help me get him in the van." Jet nodded and D moved his wheelchair to the front door where Jet and I picked him up in his wheelchair and slid him into the back of the van. Atomic climbed hurridly in the back with him. I looked at Jet and he shrugged at me then we shut the van doors and climbed into the front seats. Jet thrust the gear shifter into drive and put his foot on the pedal and sped off down the dirt road towards Battery. 

[Kid's P.O.V.]

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" I growled at the Drac who was currently backhanding Grace. 

"Stupid Killjoys! Think you can do whatever the hell you want! Tell me what you were doing with the radio!" He shouted at Grace but she just screamed and cried. I struggled in the arms of two Dracs, trying to land heel kicks to their shins. 

"STOP IT! STOP HURTING HER!" I shouted it. "IT'S MY FAULT! LEAVE HER ALONE!" The Drac currently hitting Grace turned to me. 

"You want in on some of this?" He sneered. He stepped up to me, tossing Grace aside where she curled in the corner and cried. He grabbed my throat and squeezed and I gagged only slightly before containing it. 

"Sick…bastard." I choked out before he moved his hand from my throat and balled it into a fist before connecting it with my face. He punched me again and again and again. I thought my jaw was going to snap off and with every fiber of my being I wished that Jet would come in and save me, but after five minutes of bone crushing punches to my face, I decided it wasn't going to happen. The Dracs holding me let go and I fell to the floor where I started to receive painful, swift steel toed boots to my sides. I heard and felt at least three ribs snap before they retreated from the room and the lock of the door clicked. I lay there, praying I would just die and escape it all. I would at least see Mafia again. I painfully smiled to myself, enjoying the idea, but then my eyes focused on Grace lying in the corner. "G-Grace…" I choked out but she didn't move. She was too afraid to move and I was too broken to try.


	41. Chapter 41

[Ghoul's P.O.V.]

"GHOUL COME ON WAKE UP!" I just laid there in the backseat of the Trans Am, listening to Pony bang on the window. I knew we had to go but I didn't want to move right now, I just felt like lying there. The baby turned over inside of me, causing me to wince. I gently lay my hand against my swollen abdomen, feeling the little one inside of me stretch and shift. I closed my eyes, trying to return to the deep sleep I had been in. Another swift kick was landed to my back though and I groaned and rolled my eyes before sitting up. I rubbed my eyes and yawned. "GHOUL GET UP!" Pony shouted again. 

"I'M UP! I'm up…ugh…I'm up." I turned so that my back faced the front of the car then sat down on the center console and pushed myself backwards into the passenger seat. I looked at Pony who was standing with his arms folded looking at me through the window. Well, he was more of frowing at me than just looking. I sighed and opened the door. "Why so early…" I groaned and gripped the door to pull myself up. 

"Ghoul we were supposed to leave for Battery two hours ago! We are way behind schedule and we need to get going if you wanna be out of there quick." I nodded at him and then looked around at the Killjoys that were talking amongst themselves. I walked forward and placed my hand on Atom's shoulder. She turned to smile at me. 

"Guess you're leaving us now." She frowned. 

"I have to. I need to know what happened to my friends, I can't just sit around and wait any longer to see if they show up. Plus…I can't bear to see Party upset anymore." She smiled and nodded. 

"Good to see some people still care about their family. My parents…well let's just say they weren't the best." She sighed and I pulled her into a hug, as close to me as my protruding belly would allow. 

"I didn't have the best parents either, but I want to change that with my child. You just gotta keep fighting and I promise things will get better." Tears threatened to spill over the edges of my eyelids but I quickly wiped them away. She took a step back and smiled again, wiping her own eyes. "Hopefully I will see you all again." I said, looking to the group of Killjoys before me. There were smiles all around. 

"Good luck Ghoul. I hope you find your friends and everything goes well with your family." Battery Bomb clapped me on the shoulder and I smirked. I pulled out the Trans Am keys from my pocket and grabbed Atom's hand. I flipped her hand over so her palm was face up and I placed the keys in her hand. 

"Take good care of it while we're gone, this car has a lot of memories built into it. I'm trusting you and only you with it." She nodded and gripped the keys tightly in her hand. I turned and looked at Pony, who was holding up a pile of white clothes in his hands. "Uuuuuugggggghhhhhhhh…." I groaned loudly, people bursting out laughing behind me. I snatched the clothes from him, shooting him a death glare, and then headed around to the other side of the Trans Am. I layed the pile of clothes on the top of the Trans Am and then pulled off my vest, followed shortly by my shirt. I paused when it was off though, admiring the large swell that was my stomach. The tattoos on my skin stretching and looking strange caused me to chuckle to myself. I rubbed my stomach and for the first time I literally saw my child move within me. I froze and just stared wide eyed at my stomach. I tenderly placed my hands on either side and waited for a few seconds before I watched the baby's foot swipe across the inside of my stomach. I smiled as widely as I could. I massaged my stomach in small circles. 

"Uh…Ghoul?" I looked up and saw Pony. I felt the blood rush to my face as I smiled nervously. "I was just wondering what was taking so long but now I guess I know…" 

"Sorry, this whole pregnancy thing still just baffles me." I chuckled nervously. 

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure everyone here is baffled." Pony laughed. "Get dressed you crazy person." He walked around to the other side of the car and I grabbed the black undershirt that would normally be three sizes too big for me, but now fit me perfectly, and pulled it on. I slid my pants off and quickly pulled on the white slacks before pulling my own shoes back on. I grabbed my ray gun out of it's holster and slid it down in my boot and then gathered up my discarded clothes and opened the car door and chucked them into the backseat. I walked around the other side of the car only to be greeted by laughter. 

"Oh man that's too funny! A Killjoy in a Drac's clothes. I wish I had a camera." One of the boys was laughing hysterically. 

"Oh just shut up." I had to admit it was funny though, even if I did hate this outfit with every fiber of my being. 

"You ready to go Ghoul?" I turned to Pony and nodded. He was wearing a similar suit to mine only the difference was that he didn't have a belly protruding out past his jacket. We said our goodbyes to the Killjoys and started walking towards the main road through the desert. 

[Poison's P.O.V.]

"Why do you keep looking at me like that?" Ray kept glancing at me. 

"Nothing…just weird seeing you with your hair black instead of your usual vibrant red." Ray shrugged then turned his eyes back to the road. 

"My hair was dyed black before I had it permanently dyed red. At one point it was white too. I dunno, I think I prefer the red the most though, even though my hair was black for years and years before. I don't really care anymore though…nothing matters except my friends and family now." I fiddled with my gun in my hand. "We need to find him before he reaches Battery." I said quietly. 

"I know Poison, that's why I'm speeding." Ray smirked at me and I smiled back quickly. 

"Why do you think Atomic reacted the way she did when D brought up the group of Killjoys led by Hidalgo?" I said, eyes fixated on the road in front of us, but I could see Ray shrug out of the corner of my eye. 

"Maybe she knows him or something. We're reaching the exit to Battery." He announced right as I saw the old road sign. My heart started pounding as he turned off onto the exit. I pictured Frank walking through Battery City, stomach protruding from our growing child. He was so obvious now and vulnerable. 

"Ray…we really need to get there." 

[Mafia's P.O.V.]

So I had decided to go to the diner anyways. I hadn't seen Atomic in days and I wondered what could be taking her so long to come back. I started walking hours ago but now I could see the diner ahead of me. I froze when I saw three white vans parked outside though. I dropped down onto my hands and knees and watched as Dracs went in and out of the diner, throwing various items out of the door. My heart was pounding a mile a minute and I slowly backed away and once I couldn't see the diner anymore I stood up and ran off towards a cluster of desert trees. I sat down underneath their shade and watched around me to see if any of the Dracs had actually seen me. After at least twenty minutes of waiting I decided they hadn't seen me so I relaxed against the tree. I hope that they're okay. I closed my eyes and tucked my legs to my chest, a silent tear running down my cheek. So this is what it came down to. We lost Crash, Atomic might now be captured along with Party, D, and Ghoul, and the love of my life may or may not be dead. This life…it sucks.


	42. Chapter 42

[Ghoul's P.O.V.]

God. Fucking. Damnit. This sucks! This really just sucks! Here we were, trudging alongside the main road towards Battery City in the middle of the fucking day. I was sweating from head to toe and my feet and hips threatened to break under the stress of carrying a child. It hurt, no lies or trying to make it seem lesser than it actually was. IT.FUCKING.HURT. 

"Come on Ghoul hurry it up a bit." Pony said, a good fifteen to twenty strides ahead of me. 

"Shut up Pony. I will gladly trade loads with you." I snapped and he turned to look at me right as a made an angry motion to my stomach. 

"Hey it's not the kid's fault. He or she is just busy growing while their...should I call you a mom or a dad?" That made me freeze in place. I don't think I could survive in life if my kid was calling me "mommy." 

"I'm a guy, therefore you will be calling me a dad or I will hurt you." I growled and he nodded instantly, not wanting to offend me any further. He walked back to my side though and took my jacket from me, the temperature suddenly ten degrees cooler, but still blazing hot. I walked for about another thirty steps before I couldn't move anymore. "Pony…I need to rest for a bit." I panted out and sat down on a small rock nearby. He walked up to me and fished a small bottle of water out of his bag. I eagerly snatched it from him and drank almost half of it. 

"GHOUL! That's enough! I'm sorry but if you drink it all now there won't be any later." I pouted at him but handed the bottle back. "If you wanna rest we need to find some cover." His eyes started scanning the area around us before he stopped looking around and his eyes flew wide. I followed his gaze and my eyes flew open as wide as they could at what I saw. A white van was barreling down the road in our direction and instinct told me to hide so that's what I attempted to do behind the closest grouping of saguaro cactuses. Pony hiding behind some very dead bushes a little distance away. I waited for the car to pass but what I heard instead caused my heart to start pounding vigorously. The skidding of tires hitting loose dirt made my skin crawl. I heard doors swing open and feet hit the ground as the people exited the van. I heard a pair of feet start running in my direction and I instinctively ripped my ray gun out of my boot and prepared to shoot when they came around the wall of cactus. The footsteps got louder and finally the owner of the black, boot clad feet appeared from behind the cactus. I dropped my gun in shock and staggered a few steps back. 

"FRANK! I'M SO PISSED OFF AT YOU!" His black locks swayed in the slight breeze and his eyes had a fiery spark in them, but he swung is arms out and I ran into them. 

"GERARD!" I cried happily into his arms. Pressing my body as close to his as our kid would permit. He smothered me in kisses and slid his arms down my back until the tips of his fingers rested in my back pockets. I tangled my fingers in his hair and placed one passionate kiss after another on his perfect lips. I let a small moan escape when his hands slid up my back and tangled into my hair. 

"Uh…ehem." Pony interjected and I let Poison go only slightly. Gerard noted that Pony was there but kept on talking to me. 

"Frank you idiot!" I could hear him choke out into my shoulder. I just held him close and kissed the exposed areas of his neck. He moved his hands to cup my face and he tilted my head up before leaning in and placing a vehement kiss on my lips. "What were you thinking?" He whispered and rolled his eyes at me. "I've been without you too much recently, I can't bear to lose you again." He kissed me again and I returned the kiss with just as much force, if not more. He slid is hands down my back before sliding them towards the front of my body near my waistline. I felt his hands caress the underside of my enormous, least what I thought was an accurate description, belly. His hands tenderly pressed against my skin until he located the slumbering child inside of me. 

"I'm sorry Gee…" Was all I could manage to say to him, even though I knew he deserved a better apology than that. 

"Never ever leave me again." He said demandingly and I nodded, resting my cheek on his shoulder and wrapping my arms around his neck. His hands slid up my shirt and I winced, knowing that he would probably notice what I noticed while walking with Pony. My ribs had started showing more than usual, most likely because the baby was using up energy stores that I couldn't afford to lose. He backed up and I looked into his eyes and he just stared into mine, eyes flicking back and forth in search of answers. "What's this?" He fingered two of my exposed ribs on my left side. 

"Those would be my ribs, a lot of people have them Gee." I said sarcastically and he just frowned at me. "Okay…so I'm a little thin, nothing I can really do about that Gee." His shoulders sagged and he looked like he'd just been beaten. "Gee?" I tightened my grip on him. 

"When were you going to tell me that you were losing weight? This isn't good Frankie, you need to be gaining weight." I knew he was right but I didn't know what to say to him. 

"There's nothing I can do about it Gee! Plus, I just noticed it myself a little while ago." His arms wrapped tightly around my chest and pulled me slightly closer, baby still separating us. 

"Let's go back to the diner Frankie, then we can find you plenty to eat and drink and be in the shade too, with makeshift beds and everything." His voice was pleading but I shook my head no. 

"Gee, we have to find Mikey and Ray and I need to find my mother again. There's tons of things we are going to need Gerard, especially things for when it's time for the baby to be born." Gerard looked upset but he nodded. 

"They're fine, they're alive. Mikey and Ray…they're alive." A silent tear streamed down his dirt stained cheek. Gerard's eyes flicked to his left and standing near the car, I recognized the large afro and my eyes flew open. 

"RAY!? OH MY GOD YOU'RE ALIVE! " I shouted and, grabbing Gee's hand, headed over to him hurridly. I threw my arms around his neck and he hugged me back around the shoulders before letting me go. His eyes traveled insantly to my large stomach and he asked if he could feel it. I nodded and placed his hand on my stomach where the baby's head was currently presiding. He smiled widely and retracted his hand. "I can't believe it! You're okay!" 

"Yeah and you're huge!" He chuckled and I allowed it just this once. 

"Yeah I guess I am." I smirked at Gee, who was busy pressing his ear against my stomach. I ran a hand through his black hair, only slightly missing his vibrant red color. He was Gerard and I'm pretty sure he could pull any color off. I then had the thought that I probably looked like shit in the hair department, not remembering when the last time I'd run my fingers through it was. Lacking a brush out in the Zones you quickly learned how to use just your fingers to get every tiny knot out. Come to think of it I can't remember the last time I "showered." I made a disgusted sound but luckily Gee and Ray were too busy discussing how to get into Battery City- "WHOA! HOLD YOUR HORSES! Who the hell said you guys were going in with us?!" The back doors of the van opened and Atomic jumped out and ran over to me, Gee was obviously grateful for the distraction because he quickly resumed discussing plans. 

"My god Frank you had us worried! Poison was so upset when you left!" I frowned, envisioning him sitting at the radio banging his head on the table. 

"I'm sorry…I just…I didn't want to lose anyone else." I admitted. 

"So you thought it would be better to risk the lives of you and your unborn child?" My heart panged with guilt almost instantaneously. "Think before you act Ghoul! This is your family and you were about to just throw yourself in with the sharks!?" She was right and I didn't deny it, I nodded at her before she turned and went back inside the van. I had almost just waltzed into Battery City, clearly preggo, and risk the life of my growing child just because I am an impatient bastard. What kind of father am I? I put my face in my hands and caught the tears that leaked out of my eyes, they evaporated instantly in the sun though. I felt Gerard's smooth hands slide up and down my arms in an attempt to comfort me, but I knew the only thing that would help would be to find Mikey and free him. I was going to do it, no matter what.


	43. Chapter 43

[Poison's P.O.V.]

I sighed for the billionth time. "Frankie please just hear me out!"

"I heard you Gerard. I'm going. End of story." He crossed his arms over his stomach and had a determined look on his face. It was cute and I did my best not to just yank him into the van and lock everybody out for hours on end. 

"Okay fine. One condition though." 

"Ugh…what is it?" He rubbed his forehead with his right hand, his left still resting on his stomach. 

"You do not go into the building they are holding Mikey in. I mean it Frank. You will NOT go in there." He made a face like he was about to protest but then he dropped whatever he was going to say. 

"I feel like I'm being left out all the time now. I feel like I'm just holding everyone back and I hate it Gee. I just wanted to help Mikey so you wouldn't be upset all the time." He said quietly and I stepped closer to him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, leaning over his sizable stomach. 

"Frankie, we're just trying to protect you. I couldn't bear it if anything happened to you or the baby. I can't even think about it without breaking down. You do so much for me already and I know it must be hard for you to just stand by and watch but…it's only for a little while longer and I just-I just need you to promise me you'll stay behind this one last time and let us get Mikey back." I cried onto his shoulder and felt his arms slide around my chest. 

"I promise Gee." He whispered and I smiled. 

\---

I stared up at the stars above me, one hand under my head and the other wrapped around Frankie's shoulders. He was snuggled up against me, eyes closed and breathing softly. He was so exhausted and I couldn't bear to wake him up to get in the van. We needed to get to Battery City before morning and it wasn't too much further but I had insisted that we give him a few hours of rest. His stomach was pressed into my side and occasionally I could feel the baby move about inside of him. His hand was grasping my shirt and there was an everlasting smile plastered on his face. He's so beautiful. I lightly brushed his hair out of his face and just stared at him while he slept. I would occasionally glance up when Ray or Atomic would get up or shift in their sleep but other than that it was completely silent out here. This was the one time I loved being in the desert because there is nothing to block the view of the stars. 

After what I estimated to be an hour more I sighed and gently started rubbing Frank's shoulder to get him to wake up. His eyes fluttered open and he smiled at me before I helped him into a sitting position. I stood up and brushed the dirt off my worn jeans, but the dirt always seemed to be permanently glued to the fabric. I walked over to Ray's sleeping form and gently nudged him with my foot. He groaned and rolled over on to his side facing away from me. I nudged him a little harder with my foot. "Ray get up or I'll roll you into a cactus." He groaned loudly but slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes. I walked over to wake Atomic up but she was already standing and stretching. I turned around right as Pony slapped D across the face, it was necessary else he'd never wake up this early. Frank was laughing hysterically and it made me smile to hear that sweet sound again. Hadn't heard much if any of it lately. I walked over to Frank and he put his hands up. I grabbed his arms and pulled him onto his feet and he groaned loudly. 

"Ugh…this sucks." He said under his breath. I knew what he meant because he instantly started rubbing his hips. I felt guilty for the whole thing but I knew if I said anything he'd probably smack me and tell me to shut up. I knew he saw it in my eyes though cause he gave me the 'go ahead I dare you to say something' face. 

"Ready to go?" I said to everyone once we were all gathered around the van. 

"Ready as I'll ever be." Frank sighed and then turned and got in the back of the van and sat down at the very back. I helped Ray get D in and then Pony got in with Atomic. I shut the door slowly, my eyes on Frank. He smiled reassuringly and I closed the doors and locked it tight. I got in the front seat next to Ray, allowing him to drive because he was the one who went 'on a mission.' Ray started the engine and the van slowly lurched forwards as we pulled out onto the main road, headed for the one place I never wanted to be. 

[Kid's P.O.V.]

We were being moved. To where I don't know but they had us blindfolded and gagged and I could tell we were standing in an elevator now because we slowly started moving down. I could feel the tip of a ray gun being pressed into my back and I could see light poking through the blindfold. I was suddenly shoved forward, almost losing my balance. 

"WALK." A Drac demanded at me so I started walking, hoping that I wouldn't run into anything as I did. A hand clasped my shoulder and I could feel heat coming off of someone right next to my face. 

"We're going to make an example of you Kobra Kid and hopefully your brother is watching." Korse. I would recognize that dirty rat's voice anywhere. I heard doors opening and then shouting and screaming from people all around me. 

"FILTHY ANIMALS!" I heard a woman yell. 

"GO BACK TO THE DESERT WHERE YOU BELONG!" A man shouted. So we were outside now, probably in the center of Battery City and I had a feeling of what was going to happen next. I was forced up a small set of stairs and then the blindfold was removed and I instantly shut my eyes because of the bright sunlight right in my face. Once my eyes adjusted I opened them slowly and looked at the crowd of people gathered all around. I hadn't seen this part of Battery the last time we were here. It looked as if the entire city was here to see what happened. I looked to my sides and saw Grace standing beside me on my left, crying her eyes out. I could tell she was terrified and honestly so was I. I had no clue what was going to happen next but I had a gut feeling that we wouldn't be waking up tomorrow. I kept scanning the crowd, trying to see if I could spot Gerard even though I wished he wasn't here. I didn't see him but my eyes locked on another very familiar face. Holy. Motherfucking. Shit.


	44. Chapter 44

[Ghoul's P.O.V.] 

We were being as silent as could be in the back of the van. I could hear Ray talking to a Drac at the checkpoint just barely audible through the metal wall that separated us. I knew Gee was probably itching to just take his ray gun and shoot the Drac, but I knew…well…hoped that he wouldn't. They wouldn't recognize him anyways being as his hair is black now. I let loose a sigh of relief when the van started moving along again. I looked to Atomic, whose face was still straight and unchanging. I had a feeling she was thinking about the Killjoys that Pony and I had been with. I put my hand on her shoulder and cocked my head questioningly anyways to see if she'd say anything, but she just smiled and didn't say a word. I glanced at Pony and he shrugged and I let the situation go, my hand returning to it's place atop my mountainous belly. A few more months…hard to believe it's already this far. I rubbed my stomach and smirked as the baby turned over in response. 

"That was weird." Dr. D stated and I looked up to see he was watching me. 

"What?" I laughed. 

"Well seeing something move inside of someone…don't you think it's a little strange?" I laughed at his response and he chuckled.

"I guess so but it helps knowing that it's your kid." He nodded. 

"I remember the feeling. My daughter was pregnant just before all of this started up. I remember how happy I was for months on end and when her daughter finally arrived…she was one tough cookie. That little rambunctious bundle of energy just about tore the house down when she hit two years of age. She was…she was 15 when she disappeared out in the desert." He looked down and I felt a wave of sadness pass over everyone in the van. "I keep hoping that one day, one day I'll find her. She's 18 by now…wonder where she is…" I could tell he was hoping she wasn't in Battery City or dead. I hoped so too, for his sake. Dr. D was like a father to all of us, he took me in when the Killjoys brought me back from Battery City and ever since he'd done everything to ensure our safety. I rubbed my belly, praying that he or she would never just disappear all of a sudden. 

[Kid's P.O.V.]

No. No fucking way…this…she…no! I stared at the familiar woman, memories of her holding me as a child, eating dinner and laughing at each other's horrible jokes, and telling me everything would be okay when Gee got in a car accident popped into my head. I shook my head in disbelief, wanting to close my eyes but unable to. She didn't even look at me as if she recognized me, she probably didn't. She scowled like all the other people of Battery City, shouting incoherent things amongst the crowd. I could only stare at her and my gaze must have spooked her because she shot me a more evil glare, if that was even possible. This was the final straw, it felt like the tiny threads holding my tattered heart together were finally cut and it all fell apart. I felt my knees buckle and I started to fall, but the Dracs yanked me back up onto my feet. Only one word came to my mind when I saw the woman with the all too familiar features that I had grown up with…Mom. 

[Poison's P.O.V.]

"Where the hell is everyone?" Was the first thing I said when the van emerged from the tunnel into Battery City. I looked to Ray and he shrugged. 

"They might be in the center of town. I don't know why a meeting would be going on while all the Dracs are out patrolling the desert though." Ray drove slowly through the streets before pulling into a big open area where all of Battery City seemed to be gathered. I couldn't quite see what was going on but people were shouting and screaming and I deemed it best if we kept moving on to the hotel that Ray said he could get rooms in. Ray sped up a little more as we exited the crowd of people and we reached the hotel a few minutes later. I didn't even want to take a step outside the safety of the van but Frank was in the back and I wanted to get him out of there more. I opened the passenger door and as I stepped out I scanned the area around us and was happy when there wasn't a Drac in sight. Ray and I went to the back and opened it up. Atomic jumped out first and then we grabbed Dr. D and set him down on the ground. Frank and Pony were still dressed in their white suits but Atomic had changed into her outfit, which was a pair of black skinny jeans with a black and white striped long sleeved shirt and somehow they managed to change Dr. D's clothes so he was now wearing a white suit too. Pony jumped out carrying a few duffel bags and then I got into the van and walked up to Frank. He smiled up at me and I could tell he was exhausted by the way his eyes were half lidded. I grabbed his arms and pulled him up onto my feet and into my arms. 

"Next time I'm riding up front." Frank smirked and I smiled then planted a soft kiss on his lips. When I pulled away he raised his eyebrow and grinned widely then planted a little more forceful kiss on mine. 

"HEY! Save it! We need to get inside." Ray shouted and laughed as he headed towards the front doors of the hotel. I pushed Frank's unruly hair out of his face and then helped him down out of the van. I had to resist laughing when his walk was more of a waddle, but he heard my first quiet giggle. 

"What's so funny?" He glared. 

"Nothing, nothing at all." He kept walking, holding my hand tightly in his. When we walked in Ray was already leaving the front desk with key cards in his hands. 

"Okay so you two have room…heh…you have room 109." He handed us the card and all of us smiled at the room number. "Dr. D and I have room 107 and Atomic and Pony you guys have room 110." We all filed into the elevator, Frank leaning against me and I had my arms wrapped around his torso and my chin rested on his shoulder. We went up to the first floor and then all got out taking a right as the sign directed and reaching the first room. D and Ray went inside and dropped their duffel bags off and then we did the same with Atomic and Pony's room before heading to our room. We all filed in and sat down in various parts of the room. Frank immediately taking over the center of the single king sized bed in the room. I layed down beside him, wrapping one arm around his shoulders and resting the other on his stomach, and he smiled up at me before scooting and snuggling further into me. Atomic sat down on the window ledge and used her index finger and thumb to peer through the blinds. Pony was busy telling D to stop complaining about having to wear a suit, and Ray was laying maps down on the foot of the bed. 

Soon enough everyone was dozing off in our room, Atomic was still wide awake but Pony was out cold and Ray kept falling asleep then waking back up just to do the same again, and D was snoring loudly. I looked to Frank who was curled up on his side with his back resting against my chest. 

"Frankie? You awake babe?" I rubbed his shoulder. 

"Yup. Your kid won't let me sleep, thinks my kidney's are pint sized punching bags." I chuckled lightly and he moved so the he could play slap me on the arm. He started to try and roll over but I shifted and crawled over him to lay on his other side. "Thanks…I feel like a beached whale." He snorted and I just smiled. 

"You're not a beached whale Frankie." I smiled and he just rolled his eyes at me. 

"This is like a typical husband and wife situation where the wife is all self conscious and the husband says nice things but it really thinking the same as his wife right?" He smiled, putting one hand on my cheek. 

"Not at all because I think you are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen know matter what surprises may come up." I said as I placed my hand on his stomach again, seeing slight movement beneath his skin due to the tight shirt he had on. It was amazing to feel your kid moving around inside someone you loved, especially if that someone happened to be my Frankie. 

"Hey Gee? You think we should wake them up?" He motioned to the now drooling Dr. D. 

"Yeah probably, I'll get them outa here." I kissed Frank on the lips again but when I went to get up he grabbed me and yanked me back down. He smothered me with kisses and his fingers began to play with the hem of my shirt. "Frank…do you really…want to…do this…with…them here?" I said in between kisses, my fingers now trailing up his sides underneath his shirt, starting at his hips. 

"I…don't care." He tangled his fingers in my hair, his eyes closed. His hands moved quickly back to the bottom of my shirt though and he pulled it upwards, slowly trailing his fingers and causing me to shudder, before taking it off entirely. I practically ripped his suit jacket in half in my rush to remove the layers of clothing between us. I was on all fours above him, his stomach still slightly touching mine. Six months now, six months along. I smiled into the next flurry of kisses. 

"GERARD!" I jumped when my name was shouted. I turned to see Ray standing there completely dumbstruck, Pony was still out cold, and D was covering his eyes and telling himself that he was just dreaming. Atomic had already left the room at some point. I looked back to Frankie and he just put his hand on my cheek and stroked it with his thumb. I smiled and kissed his hand. "COME ON MAN WE ARE STILL IN THE ROOM!" Ray shouted again before grabbing things that were strewn about and tucking them under his arm. 

"Its not Gee's fault Ray, it was kind of my idea…" Frank giggled and pushed me off of him. I smiled and stood up off the bed, helping Ray grab things off the floor. 

"God, so not cool." Ray was shaking his head like he was trying to get bad images out of his head. 

"You're just lucky you stopped us while we still had pants on." I smirked at him and he just shuddered again. Once we had woken Pony up, who was confused as to why they were being thrown out of the room and why I was walking around half naked, they all headed out and down the hall to their rooms. I turned back and shut the door and locked it. Frank was sitting up on the bed, legs dangling off the edge. His hands were messing with a particularly large knot in his hair. I went over and tried to help but it was pretty stuck. 

"I think it might be a good idea to take a shower for once." I cringed at the memory of our last trip to Battery. He had eaten too much drug laced food and ended up laying in bed out cold, then getting an intense fever, and ending up in a cold bath. I shook my head trying to get rid of the memories. "You okay?" 

"Yeah I'm fine." I smiled and he nodded. I helped him up onto his feet and to the bathroom. I had to take his shoes off for him because he couldn't bend over far enough to untie them. I laid down a towel next to the tub. He folded his arms and motioned towards the door with his head. "Sorry Gee…I just…need some thinking time for a little bit." I nodded and kissed him as I walked out of the bathroom and into the bedroom, flicking on the tv to the first channel that popped up.


	45. Chapter 45

[Ghoul's P.O.V.]

I sighed and locked the door behind Gee. I was honestly feeling pretty self-conscious right then, especially now that I had to have Gee take my own shoes off for me because I couldn't reach them. I knew I was being stupid cause Gerard wouldn't hate me for it or anything, but I guess it just comes with being pregnant. I stood in front of the mirror for the longest time before removing my shirt. I was hesitant to turn sideways in the mirror but curiosity got the better of me and I turned sideways. 

"Fuck." Was all I had to say about it. I thought I was enormous before but looking at it sideways just made it look ten times bigger. I sighed pulling my shirt off, just wanting to get it over with. I dropped the shirt to the floor and glanced in the mirror again. My tattoos were all stretched out and gross looking but otherwise my skin looked fine. I sighed and rubbed my stomach out of habit. I just stared off into space for a moment, my mind flashing back to when Crash, Atomic, Mafia, and Kid were all sitting in the booth back at the diner. Crash had been there to comfort me when Party wasn't and I still felt like I owed her. I could never repay her though because she was gone…forever. I wish we could just jump back in time and do things differently, maybe we wouldn't be here right now if I hadn't agreed to that stupid trip to Battery the first time. Maybe Kid wouldn't have been caught, Ray wouldn't have to pretend to be a Drac, Mafia would be with us, Atomic would actually talk to me, and Crash would still be alive. 

I shook my head, trying to clear it of the bad memories. I fumbled with the button on the slacks I was wearing and I finally yanked them off, Gee only managed to get my jacket off before we were interrupted, then I realized my socks were still on. "UUUUGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!" I groaned and sat down on the toilet seat, arms fully extended trying to get my damn socks off. I finally just used my other foot to get one off and did the same with the other. I walked back over to the tub and turned the water on so it was warm, not too hot and not too cold. I put on foot in and watched a brown cloud form around it. "Yeah…definitely need a bath." I put my other foot in and lowered myself into the water, turning it brown. I sighed and drained what little water was in there. I had to drain it at least four times until the water stayed clear and I could actually let the tub fill up. I laid back in the warm water and closed my eyes. 

[Kid's P.O.V.]

"AGH!" I screamed out as another swift punch met my stomach. I looked to Grace who was being held back by a Drac, screaming and crying. I smiled weakly at her before I threw my head back in pain as I was hit again. The crowd was loving this. "Reprogramming" Korse had called it. It wouldn't work though because I had my mind set on seeing Mafia again. I had to survive this so I could see her at least one more time. I was sickened by this still though, especially since my own mother was one of the people enjoying the show. 

"Alright. Take them back to their cell." Korse snapped and I was yanked up off the ground and drug forwards. A blindfold was tied back around our eyes as we were taken back to the cell. We were thrown in, I hissed in pain and just laid there on the cool floor of the cell, enjoying the slight relief it gave me. 

"K-Kid." I turned my head to look at Grace, she was crawling towards me. "Are-are you okay?" She whined, tears streaming down her cheeks. I struggled up into a sitting position and pulled her close to me, resting my chin in her hair. 

"Shhhh shhhh I'm okay. I'm okay." I'm really not okay. I sighed and struggled to hold back my own tears. Please Gee just hurry up. 

[Mafia's P.O.V.]

"DAMNIT!" I screamed out in anger. I was trudging through the debris of the diner. They had set the place ablaze on their way out. I had struggled to put the fire out with the small amount of water they had stored up but to no avail, the flames raged on and now…now nothing remained of the place we'd all grown to call "home" except for a pile of burnt wood and rubble. I sank down to my knees into a pile of ash and cried, trying to remember what the place had looked like before all this but all my memory could pull up was flames. I wiped tears from my eyes as I struggled to my feet and made my way to where I guessed the radio room had once been. I stood and stared at the remnants of the radio, fire had eaten away its plastic casing and melted its cables. I picked up the burned microphone and clutched it tightly in my hand. I slid the mic into my pocket and trudged on through the rubble, looking for anything that could be salvaged. Everything was gone. I stumbled out of the ruins and started walking. 

At this point, I didn't know what to do other than go back to the little shack and hide out there, but I wasn't going to. I wasn't going to sit around by myself anymore. I walked out on to the main road and walked down it, not caring who saw me right now. As if on cue I heard the engine of a car and I looked behind me and saw the blurry, due to the intense heat, outline of a car coming down the road. I kept walking though, determined not to let anything bother me right now. I was on a mission, I had to find them. The engine got louder and louder until I heard brakes squeaking as the car slowed and pulled along side me. 

"Need a lift?" I turned my head and my jaw dropped. Moving slowly beside me was Poison's car, his Trans Am. It definitely wasn't him in the driver's seat though. I stopped and so did the car. A teenage boy got out of the car, his jet black hair had a single stripe of neon blue running through it and was hanging over his right eye. His eyes were just as blue as his hair and were rimmed with smudged, charcoal black eyeliner. He wore a pair of black skinny jeans with black basketball shoes with neon blue laces and stitching. He had a plain blue t-shirt on under a black jacket with multiple zippers on it. He had two black, silver studded belts on in a way that they created an 'X' in the front and back. He was pale too, something you rarely saw out in the desert anymore, but the way he dressed probably allowed him to stay this pale. 

"Who-who are you?" He walked around the car towards me and opened the passenger door, allowing me to notice that he had neon blue fingerless gloves on as well and his fingernails had remnants of black nail polish left on them. 

"You can call me Ritalin." He held his hand out and I shook it. He smiled and then motioned for me to get in. I shook my head no though. I didn't know if I could trust him so I took a step back. 

"Why do you have Poison's car?" I crossed my arms, my eyes not leaving his. 

"He left it in our group's possession when he went to Battery City with Ghoul, Pony, Dr. D, Jet, and Atomic." I froze up. 

"Jet Star?" My arms dropped to my sides. 

"Yeah!" He said happily. 

"He's alive? Was there a tall skinny boy with them? Blonde hair?! Kobra Kid? WAS KID WITH THEM?" My heart started pounding a mile a minute in hope that he'd say yes. 

"No, they were going to Battery City to save Kid." My heart kept pounding. He's alive…Kid's alive. A huge smile spread across my face. "What are you so smiley about?" I looked back at Ritalin and then suddenly threw my arms around his neck and he just stood there in shock. "Uh…"

"He's alive!" I cried into his shoulder. "Kid's alive!" I smiled as widely as I could. I then pushed back from Ritalin and jumped in the passenger seat of the car. "COME ON LET'S GO!" I shouted and he just looked at me wide eyed. 

"Uh…okay…" He walked around the car and got into the driver's seat. He put the car in drive and sped off down the road towards Battery City.


	46. Chapter 46

[Ghoul's P.O.V.]

Getting in the bath was one thing, getting out of the bath was something else entirely. I had tried numerous times to shift my weight enough to get on my feet but it just wasn't going to happen. So here I am, lying naked in the bathtub and definitely NOT PLEASED. I didn't want to call for help cause then Gee would see me with out any clothes on and I was too self conscious right now to let that happen, but I also didn't want to sit here all day even though it was really relaxing. I sighed and closed my eyes. "GERARD!?" I shouted. 

"YEAH? WHAT'S UP BABE?" I smirked at the nickname. 

"I-I CAN'T GET OUT OF THE TUB!" I rubbed my forehead in embarrassment and I was suddenly kicked in the side by the baby. I looked down at my stomach, placing my hands on either side of it and I gasped a little when I saw a ripple of movement across my belly. "Jesus Christ kid, a little active tonight are we?" I smiled and giggled slightly when the baby moved again. 

"You're stuck in the tub?" I heard Gee's voice from the other side of the door. I could sense the smirk on his face as he said it. 

"Wipe that damn smirk off your face and just get in here and help me out." The handle twisted and turned and the door shuddered. 

"Frankie baby, you locked the door." 

"SO BREAK IT OPEN!" I snapped in a sudden flash of anger. 

"Fine with me." The door suddenly slammed open and he walked in, raising an eyebrow at my naked form in the tub. I blushed and folded my arms. 

"Stop staring at me and get your ass over here." He grinned widely and sauntered over, his eyes glancing downwards. "Eyes up here asshole." I smirked when his eyes met mine. He stepped into the tub near my feet and held his hands out to me. I grabbed them with mine and he yanked upwards, straining slightly and so not helping my self esteem. I was finally up on my feet and I punched him in the chest.

"Ow, what was that for?" He looked questioningly at me. 

"For straining!" He smiled and chuckled a little so I hit him again. "Just get me out of this damn tub Gerard." I folded my arms over my belly. He nodded and stepped out of the tub. I put my hands on his shoulders and stepped out carefully, using him for support. I stepped right into him and he wrapped his arms around me. I tried to pull away, feeling like I was too gross to be allowed into his arms. Stupid, I know, but seriously pregnancy messes with your head. 

"Frankie what are you doing?" Gee held me back a little away from him to look into my eyes. 

"Being pregnant and hormonal and feeling gross." I sighed, exhaling deeply. He pulled me back into him and rested his face in my hair. 

"Frankie, you are the most gorgeous man in the world and you being pregnant…I don't know…it makes you even more beautiful." He kissed my forehead and started trailing them down my neck and towards my stomach, I let out a loud involuntary moan. His eyes flicked up to mine then he smiled and continued kissing down my body. He kneeled down and placed numerous kisses on my belly and I tangled my fingers in his jet black hair. He stood up slowly, kissing his way back up to my lips before he started pushing me backwards out of the bathroom. 

[Mafia's P.O.V.]

"Okay, so first question. How do you know Poison?" Ritalin glanced over at me, flashing his bright blue eyes behind his jet black hair. 

"I don't know him personally, but everyone looks up to that guy. Well, we look up to all of 'em. They were basically the first Killjoys besides Dr. D himself." I nodded and looked back out the windshield. 

"Okay, my turn. What's your name? Your 'joy one of course." I smirked. 

"Mafia Hitman. What about you? Is your's just Ritalin?" I turned to look at him and he nodded. 

"That's me." He smirked and I thought I saw a fang poke out from his mouth. I jumped a little and he smiled, mouth closed before giggling to himself a little.

"Do- do you have fangs?" I choked out and he laughed harder. 

"Yeah, long story. The group of 'joys I used to be with were kinda nutso. They were my friends in real life, y'know before all this BL/ind shit, and they had a real fetish with vampires. They had formed a 'gang' and had all modified their canine teeth to be sharp and pointed like vampires." He rolled his eyes at it. "I wanted to hang out with them because I thought they were cool, and one of the requirements was that I made my canines into fangs, so I did. Stupid, I know." He chuckled to himself and I laughed with him. 

"Kinda, but it's cool at the same time. I didn't know you could have that done to your teeth." He smiled widely. 

"Neither did I until they took me to this professional that does it for a living. Strange dude." We laughed and talked about less important things just to pass the time and had even suffered through and dull game of 'I Spy.' Finally he veered off the road and across the sand, only one other set of tire tracks were here. We drove out into the middle of nowhere for a little while before I saw a group of people sitting around a burnt out campfire and he slowed the car to a stop. He got out and I climbed out after him. 

"HEY RITALIN!" One of the guys shouted and Ritalin held his hand up and waved then motioned for me to follow. We approached the campsite and sat down in the dirt, well I did. Ritalin remained standing, arms folded across his chest. 

"This is Mafia, y'know one of the girls Atomic helped." All eyes were on me. 

"Hey Mafia, nice to meet you. I'm Atom." I shook the girl's outstretched hand and smiled at her and she smiled back.


	47. Chapter 47

[Poison's P.O.V.]

Sweaty and sticky. That's how I felt right now and its probably how Frank was feeling too. I glanced over at his sleeping form, curled up into my side, using my arm as a pillow. I had lost all feeling in my arm but I couldn't bear to move it for fear I'd wake him up. I had flicked the TV on again, keeping the volume low so it wouldn't disturb Frankie. It was all about Frank with me now and it always would be. He was my everything and he had given me so much already and now he was giving me one more great miracle. I rolled on my side and lightly pulled him into my chest, burying my face in his hair. I slid my hand gently to his bare stomach and rested it there, smiling every time I felt our baby shift, slowly as if he or she were sleeping just like their dad. I lay there beside him until the door suddenly opened and I quickly yanked the covers over us, being as we still hadn't gotten dressed. Ray walked into the room and immediately slapped a hand over his eyes. 

"Okay I know you're naked so please get some pants on." He said quietly, obviously knowing that Frank was asleep. I quickly got out of the bed and snatched up my black slacks that I had brought and grabbed my discarded boxers, yanking both on quickly. 

"Okay I'm good." He uncovered his eyes and I saw his eyes were bloodshot and his face was red. "Ray? What's wrong?" I walked over to him and put my hand on his shoulder. He looked at me and then rested his head on my shoulder and cried. 

"I-I went back to the Dracs headquarters and-and they we-were bringing Mikey back to his cell…he was bloody and his ribs were broken…it was horrible…" He sobbed into my shoulder as a flood of tears sprang up and out of my eyes, streaming down my face. "We drove right past him…that was what the crowd was for…we left him Gerard!" It felt like my heart cracked into a billion pieces just then and I started to sob loudly. I quickly pushed Ray out of the room and followed him into the hall. I couldn't wake Frank, I just couldn't bear to disturb him when he needed his sleep for the sake of our child and himself. I put my back against the wall of the hallway and sank down to the floor, I cried loudly, burying my face into my knees. Ray had disappeared back to his own room or to one of the other's rooms to tell them. I cried until I couldn't possibly create one single tear. I sighed and dry sobbed for a little while longer before I felt a little bit of strength return to my body. I stood up on shaky legs and sighed, holding back sobs as I turned the handle and opened the door to the room. I shuffled in and took deep breaths trying to calm myself, watching my feet as I walked in. A pair of arms suddenly wrapped around my waist and pulled me close. I looked up from my feet to see Frank rest his head against my shoulder and sigh. His eyes were red and there were trails down his cheeks from tears. He'd heard everything, I had a feeling he would. I sighed and put my head on his shoulder, wrapping my arms around his waist and I started to cry again. 

"Frankie…" I choked out, trying to tell him what I was feeling because I knew he'd know how to help but I couldn't bring my self to say anything. 

"I know Gee…I know…" He was sobbing as well; I could feel his body trembling against mine. I pulled him as close as I could to myself, well as much as his belly would allow, and the feeling of having him there in my arms just helped me calm down. Anger flared up inside of me as I calmed though. They were going to get it, I would personally bring harm to every Drac that dared lay a finger on my friends or family. 

[Ritalin's P.O.V.]

Liar. That's what I'd been called my whole life. Friends, family, and even teachers…they'd all called me a liar. Everytime the word popped up in a conversation, even if the person was just joking, I had the sudden urge to knock whoever had said it out cold. I was a fighter, I'd practically spent my whole life fighting. I had been to prison more times than any seventeen year old should be. I'd done some things I am not proud of, but the one thing I had never been was a liar.

"Hey Mafia, I'm gonna go for a drive…" I whispered to her and she nodded, I got up and headed back to the Trans Am and quickly got in the driver's seat and turned it on. I turned and slammed the gas, drifting on the sand and then lurching forwards back towards the road. I turned right once I reached the ashphalt and accelerated. I sped down the road reaching speeds of at least one hundred and twenty miles an hour. I did this a lot, taking off. I'd left dozens of people behind, thinking they'd be better off without the "liar" in their lives. I'd always been completely and totally honest, maybe it was my tone of voice or…I dunno, I gave up trying to find out why. I guess I did just lie to Mafia though. I was never with a gang, I guess I just wanted to sound like I wasn't a total loser and I'd filed my own teeth to look like this because I was a horror movie geek I guess. I wasn't the coolest guy in school, I was the loser who got shoved into lockers and beat up. I guess that's why I am the way I am now. I don't make friends, yeah sure I'm nice to people, but only when it gets me something in return. Right now, Mafia was giving me what I needed, a closer tie to the original 'joys, who in turn would get me closer to Show Pony. He was the one I have a real problem with. 

I quickly shook off some pretty disturbing memories and pressed the gas further. I clenched my teeth in frustration and gripped the wheel tighter, causing my already pale skin to turn pure white on my knuckles. I spun the wheel and hit the brakes, causing the car to spin violently, but that's what I wanted. I wanted to take out all my anger and frustration right now so I could be calm when I got back. I was also doing it for the thrill, to get my heart racing. I held the brakes until the car stopped, not at all afraid if it tipped over. It swung around again slightly and then stopped. I was completely calm, no hard breathing…nothing. I sighed in frustration and started to drive back when sirens flicked on down the road. Just what the doctor ordered. I put the car sideways across the road and got out, walking around to stand in front of it. The van came to a stop about fifty feet away and lasers started flying. I laughed and ran off to the side into the dark where their headlights didn't reach. I pulled my ray gun from its holster, hidden behind the left side of my jacket. My finger found the trigger with ease in the pitch black. I got all the way behind the van and fired off a single shot, the blue laser hitting the center of the Drac's back perfectly. I smirked as the spun around and started firing blind into the dark, I used their van as cover and snuck around the other side and took out the driver with ease. I slipped my gun back into my jacket and reached down into my jean pocket and grabbed my pocket knife. I ran up behind one of the two remaining Dracs and jammed the knife up into his back and twisted, slapping my free hand over his mouth to muffle his screams, then I let him slip to the ground. The other Drac spun around and fired off one shot, nailing me on my left hip. I yelped at the laser burned my skin, working its way further into my body. I shook it off though and ran up at the Drac and grabbed him, twisting him into a chokehold. I pressed the blade of my knife to his neck. 

"Drop it." I growled into his ear and listened to the ray gun clatter to the asphalt. I could feel him shake in fear and I could hear the muted gasps under that mask of his. I grabbed the mask and ripped it off his head, throwing it off to the side. The man had blonde hair and from what I could see there was a remaining hole where a lip ring had once been. "I have a message for Korse. Tell him that his grandson sends his regards." I cut his throat a little to emphasize the fact that I was serious then shoved him away and walked to the Trans Am, getting in and speeding off down the road.


	48. Chapter 48

[Atomic's P.O.V.]

I pressed my back up against the wall as another group of doctor's passed by on the otherside. I was dressed in normal Battery-fucked up-brain dead-citizen attire, but I didn't want to take any chances with being asked for identification or anything. When they were around the corner at the other end I came out of my hiding place and walked down the hall towards the maternity ward. I had snuck out while everyone was otherwise occupied, being as I was pretty damn good at being ninja like. I flashed my fake ID at the nurses sitting at the desk and they nodded and just let me pass through. The maternity ward was virtually empty except for a few woman here and there. I grabbed a nurse and asked her where I could find a small portable ultrasound machine, not knowing if there was a proper name for it or not. She led me down the hall to an empty room and grabbed one that was sitting on a side table. I took the machine from her and asked her for surgical and sanitization kits. She happily took me to a few other rooms, grabbing me the necessary equipment and putting them all in a lockable case and handed me the key. I checked to make sure the key actually opened the case before I left the room, with the nurse hot on my heels. It was scary how no one asked questions, they all just gave in, thinking it was some Drac thing. 

"Is there anything else you'll be needing ma'am?" The nurse asked and I thought for a moment. 

"I could use a few gallons of water, prenatal vitamins, and some clean towels. Know where I can get those?" She nodded and left the room quickly, returning with clean towels and prenatal vitamins. 

"The gallons of water can be procured from the grocery store right down the street. I can tell you are from one of the squads that travels the desert constantly so let me draw you a map from here to the grocery store." She grabbed a notepad and started drawing.

"Can you give me directions to a maternity store as well?" She glanced up at me. 

"I know this isn't protocol but may I ask why you need all of the necessary equipment for a pregnancy? Someone in the field expecting?" She asked in a mousy voice, probably afraid I would do something to her for asking. 

"I can't disclose any information, I'm sure you know that." I snapped, acting the way a true Drac probably would. She quickly nodded and then handed me a drawing of how to get to the grocery store and to the maternity store. I smiled lightly then put the towels and prenatal vitamins into the case, locking it tight after. I left the hospital, still avoiding large groups of doctors. I went to the van, having snuck the keys away from Ray earlier on, and placed the case under the back seat. I got into the driver's seat, definitely not old enough to drive, but I looked the part for today at least. I drove down to the grocery store, parking right up front in case I needed to bolt out of there. 

I walked in and headed straight to the drink section and grabbed a few gallon jugs of water, even though my eyes went straight to the giant bottle of Dr. Pepper and my body started craving it. I was sidetracked by the "snacks" isle and I decided it wouldn't hurt to grab something to eat. I grabbed a few bags of chips and down the next isle I grabbed a bag of mini bagels. I went to the counter, watching the other customers just swipe their ID's and walk away with their items, some were just punching in numbers. I watched one man type his number in from a few rows over and just by watching the way his hands move I memorized the number. I walked up to the machine and swiped my items and punched in the man's number 14037. The machine accepted it and I bagged my items and hurried out of the grocery store. Wonder if that number would work at the maternity store too? Poor guy would prolly freak out later on when a ton of his money was missing. I got in the van and started driving. I wanted to make Ghoul and Gee happy and I think they deserved to be happy even if it was just for a little while. I got out of the car at the maternity store and walked in quickly. I headed straight for the plain t-shirts and grabbed a variety of colors all fairly large before going to the pants section. I picked out a few pairs of black pants, not sure exactly what size Frank would need but I'm sure he'd rather have more than one pair of pants every day. I then went to the baby section of the store and smiled widely when I saw the small little outfits. Frank and Gee were gonna loooove me.

[Ghoul's P.O.V.]

Gee was asleep finally, after hours of listening to him cry I felt like my entire body had been ripped to shreds. I lay beside him now, he had curled up against my side, one hand lightly resting on my stomach. The baby was slowly rolling around in my stomach, trying to find a comfortable postion but honestly I don't think the baby would ever find one again, I could feel that he or she was running out of room. I sighed and rubbed my stomach, while I flipped through channels on TV. It was all news just like last time and it was frustrating me so I eventually just clicked it off and lay there, watching Gerard sleep. There was a knock at the door though and I sighed, rolling my eyes and slowly sliding out from under Gee so as not to wake him. I struggled up on to my feet and…waddled…to the door. I looked through the peep hole and saw Atomic standing on the other side, a rather large smile on her face. I opened the door and she quickly came in, with two large bags and a case.   
"What in the world are those for?" I watched as she went down the short hall to the foot of our bed. I thanked god that I had gotten dressed before she came. 

"For you, well mainly for the baby but also for you." I cocked my head to the side and walked over to her, sitting on the foot of the bed. She started pulling clothes out of one of the bags, handing them to me. There was a plethora of shirts and pants being thrown out of the bag and into my lap. She handed me the bag and stood back, an even larger smile spreading across her face. I raised an eyebrow curiously and then put my hand down into the bag, my fingertips touching soft fabric. I grabbed it and pulled it out. A blue onesie lay in my hand and an impossibley large smile spread across my face, tears started pouring down my cheeks. I put one hand on my stomach and gently rubbed it in circles. I looked up at Atomic and she was smiling widely, arms folded. 

"Thank you…so much…" I got up and embraced her, so thankful for what she'd done. 

"Haha you're welcome Ghoul." She hugged me tightly back. "I also got the necessary equipment for the delivery and a portable ultrasound machine. I-I can show you your baby if you'd like." I pushed her back a little, holding her arms in my hands. 

"You know how to work it?" I ased, knowing exactly what an ultrasound was. Hello! I'm not oblivious!

"Yeah of course, it's really simple." I was about to leap at the opportunity to see my child right that instant but I turned to look at Gee, who was now curled into the fetal position. 

"I would love to do it right now, but…I wanna wait for him. Thank you so much At-" 

"Toni, my name is Toni." She smiled, brushing her hair out of her eyes. 

"Toni eh? That's a pretty sweet name and really unique for a girl." She smiled and then turned to the second bag and pulled a large bag of chips out of it, making my eyes go wide. 

"OH MY GOD REAL FOOD!" I made grabby hands for the bag but she held it away and laughed. 

"These aren't good for the baby!" She giggled holding them out further.

"OH YEAH BECAUSE DOG FOOD IS SO GREAT! I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU DON'T GIVE ME THOSE DAMN CHIPS RIGHT NOW I'M GONNA STRANGLE YOU!" She just laughed harder and I heard Gee stir behind me and quickly slapped a hand over my mouth. I turned my head and watched him switch to his other side but thankfully he remained asleep. Atomic gave in and handed me the bag of chips and I greedily ripped the bag open, grabbing a handful of chips and shoveling them into my mouth. "Oh man these are so good." 

[Ritalin's P.O.V.]

I arrived back at the camp and quickly lay down near the campfire amongst the rest of the sleeping 'joys. I tried to close my eyes and sleep but the wound on my left hip wouldn't allow it. It still felt like my insides were burning where I had been hit and every movement sent searing pain through my body. I closed my eyes forcefully and thought about anything but my injury and I started to slowly dirft off to sleep. 

I woke the next morning, quickly clambering up and going to the emergency kit that was stored in the Trans Am's trunk. I grabbed a bandage and a few pieces of gauze and put them on the wound, wrapping the bandage around my hips entirely. I pulled my shirt back down and put the kit away just as the other 'joys were waking up. Mafia sat up and stretched, yawning loudly then rubbing her eyes and looking arund. She caught my eye and smiled, standing up and walking over to me. I leaned against the car and acted as if nothing was wrong while simultaneously pulling my jacket over the hole that was burned into my t-shirt. 

"Morning Ri." Ri? I'd known her a day and she was already calling me by a nickname. 

"Uh hey Mafia." I forced a smile. "Sleep well?" She nodded and yawned again. 

"You?" I shrugged and let loose a yawn. 

"Eh, coulda been better." She smiled then walked past me and got in the passenger seat of the car. 

"Hey Ri, lets get going." She shouted from the car and I raised an eyebrow in question and walked to the driver's side of the car and got in. 

"Uh, where are we going?" She looked at me wide eyed as if I should know where we were going already. 

"Battery City, I thought that that was where you were headed? Werent you?" Mafia looked a little upset at my blank expression but I quickly nodded and turned the car on. 

"Wasn't planning on it but I'll gladly take you wherever you wanna go." I smiled at her and she smiled back. I hit the gas and sped off towards the main road and then turned right again, as I had last night and headed towards Battery City.


	49. Chapter 49

[Ghoul's P.O.V.]

Atomic and I had finished half the bag before having the realization that this was Battery City food and it could be littered with drugs. Now, here we were, forcing ourselves to throw up into the toilet in her room, cause I didn't want to freak Gerard out. We also sat there in the bathroom for a good half hour just to see what would happen but both of us felt fine and I didn't see a difference in Atomic and she assured me there wasn't any change with me, sliding in a joke that my belly might have gotten bigger though, to which I graciously punched her in the shoulder. She got up and then yanked me on to my feet and we quickly discarded the rest of the chips. I looked at the gallons of water and sighed, as much as I wanted to drink half of one of them I didn't think it'd be safe. 

"Maybe I could get one of the people here to tell me how the drugs are distributed?" The door opened and Ray walked in. 

"I can tell you that. Water is safe, they don't use liquids cause the drugs break down too quickly, thus making them ineffective. Wheat products are safe too just cause they don't use them for some reason, but anything else just steer clear of." 

"So sodas are safe?" I asked, raising an eyebrow because I vaguely remembered a soda machine down the hall. 

"Definitely." He smiled and plopped down on one of the two beds in the room. 

"Hey Atomic?" She looked at me as she started pouring a few glasses of water.

"Where's Show Pony and D?" 

"They said that they had some old friends to meet up with near the back of the city and that they'd be back in a few hours." Ray and I looked at her wide eyed. 

"AND YOU JUST LET THEM GO?" Ray barked, standing up. 

"Yeah, cause when a ray gun is held to your head by a friend, you kind of need to let them go." She snapped back and Ray stood down. "Everybody needs to stop snapping all of a sudden, it's not gonna help the situation. I've done all I can to ensure that we get what we came for and we have gotten a bit extra too what with my shopping spree and trip to the hospital. What's left is we gotta find Kid and get out of here. AS SOON AS POSSIBLE." There was a knock at the door. 

"Hey guys? You wanna let me in?" It was Gee. I went over and unlocked the door and he came in, wrapping his arms around my waist instantly. I smirked and snuggled against his chest. "Having a party without me?" He said as if he were cheery but I could see the sadness hidden in his eyes. 

"If you call drinking ice cold glasses of water a party then I guess so." Atomic smiled as she sipped her drink. Gee walked over with one hand around my waist and poured another glass for himself and I grabbed my half full glass and downed the rest of it. I looked at Atomic and then my eyes flashed to the case with the medical equipment in it and she caught on. "Hey Gee, I went on a little mission while you all were sleeping and I acquired all the necessary equipment we are gonna need as well as a bunch of clothes for Frank and the baby. So, in my medical case here…" She grabbed the case and lifted it on to the bed, laying it down and opening it up. She grabbed a small device with a screen on one end and a weird uh…sensor, on the other end. Hey I'm not used to this kinda shit so no comments. "I was wondering if you and Frank wanted to see your baby for the first time?" Gee's eyes lit up and I knew it was an automatic yes on both ends. 

"That'd be amazing!" He said happily, all traces of sadness gone for the moment. 

"Okay Frank I need you to lie down on the bed." I got on the bed, propping myself up on a pile of pillows and I groaned loudly when she told me I had to lift my shirt up. I really didn't want to right now cause my tattoos were all funky looking and I dunno just pregnancy mindset messing with me. I pulled my shirt up and Gerard sat down next to me on the bed to watch. She placed the sensor end on my stomach and started moving it around lightly. "Normally they'd have some bluish jelly crap to make this easier to move around, but I just wanted to get the hell out of there so sorry for that." 

"Don't be sorry, this is great as is." I smiled at her and watched her face as she watched the monitor on the handheld. Her eyes widened slightly and a smile broke out across her face. She turned the screen to face Gee and me and both our mouths dropped as we looked at the tiny little head on the screen, hands curled up near the baby's face. I felt a tear slide down my face and looked up at Gerard, he was crying and smiling, his hand found mine and gripped it tight. I squeezed his hand in return and we just stared at the screen. Ray came over and Atomic turned it slightly so he could see too. 

"Damn, I can already tell this kid's gonna be trouble." He chuckled as the baby's hand lashed out and I winced a little. "Well then again, its to be expected. His or her parents are some bad ass fighters." He smirked at us and patted Gerard on the back before walking away. We forced Atomic to show us how to use the device so we could even when she wasn't around. It was fairly simple…for Gerard…I was too frustrated with the buttons and I gave up, being moody wasn't fun. 

"I love you Frankie." Gee bent over and kissed me softly on the lips. 

"I love you too Gee." I breathed in between more kisses. 

[Unknown Drac's P.O.V.]

I clutched my neck as I drove quickly down the road towards Battery City, my blonde hair plastered to my head from sweat. I flashed my ID at the checkpoint and quickly sped through the tunnel towards the headquarters for BL/ind. I threw the van in park and dashed out of the van, gripping my mask in one hand and still holding my throat in another. I ran up to the first Drac I saw and grabbed his shoulder. He ripped his mask off as he saw my red stained shirt and hands. 

"What happened?" He asked quickly. 

"I need to get to a hospital but I need you to tell Korse something. A message from a Killjoy that he needs to hear." The Drac nodded and helped me to the elevator and he hit the top floor button. The elevator shot upwards and we reached the top floor in under two minutes. He put my free arm around his shoulders and ran forwards, taking me straight to Korse's office. He opened the door and dragged me inside. Korse stood with his back to us, immediate shivers ran down both our spines. 

"Korse, this Drac has a message from a Killjoy, one he believes you must hear immediately." Korse turned to face us, his beady eyes glaring at me. 

"Well? Let's hear it." He growled and folded his arms, looking highly unpleased. 

"The Killjoy said…'tell Korse his-his grandson sends his regards.'" Korse's eyes widened instantly and a scowl spread across his face. 

"Are you sure he said 'grandson'?" He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Positive." 

"I want you to drop your current assignment of finding Fun Ghoul and start looking for that Killjoy you encountered. Bring him to me once you've found him and you better not lay a finger on him. I want him alive and unscathed. Do you hear me?" He growled and we both nodded quickly and the other Drac carried me out of the room. 

"What's your name? How badly are you injured?" He asked the standard procedure questions.

"Bob Bryar, and let's just say I need a hospital right now." 

[Korse's P.O.V.]

I smirked as I turned away from the door to face back out the window down at the mass of people I had control of. 

"So my son did have a child after all. Ahhh…how easily things all fall into place." I smirked and knew that all my hard work was finally going to pay off and far easier than I had imagined. I turned and hit the button on the phone and contacted the Dracs stationed outside my son's home. 

"Group Leader 1, sir." A voice came in. 

"Bring my son to me, we are going to have a nice little chat." I heard commotion on the other end and then a car door shut. 

"We are on our way sir." I turned the phone off and sat down in a chair, awaiting the entertainment to come.


	50. Chapter 50

[Ritalin's P.O.V.]

We were about a mile away from Battery City, parked behind a large formation of boulders. I was jumping from rock to rock like a mountain goat while Mafia followed more carefully behind me. I stood at the top, eyeing the line of white vans headed into the tunnels. Mafia stood beside me and we watched in silence for a few minutes, both of us obviously trying to formulate a plan. 

"We need a van." Mafia spoke up. "I don't see any other way to get in without a van, but they'll need identification." At the mention of an ID my right hand subconsciously reached up to my left chest pocket to feel the rectangular plastic sitting inside of it. 

"That's…that won't be a problem." I whispered and, with a deep sigh, I pulled my old ID out of the pocket. It was a taken a few years ago when I was still…still a citizen of Battery City. She looked at the plastic card then back up at me, taking a cautious step back. 

"You-you lived there? You were one of them?" She questioned, a hint of disgust creeping into her words. I dropped my head forward then looked back at the city. 

"Unfortunately I was. I never took the drugs though. My dad told me they weren't safe so he made all of our food from scratch and monitored what I did to make sure I wouldn't be brainwashed by anything. He knew what was going on in the city and took the first chance he had to get me out. It's a story I'd rather not continue talking about." She just watched me for a moment then sighed and seemed to relax again. 

"Guess at one point in time we were all citizens of Battery City, just not…not the way it is now." She folded her arms over her chest and a slight breeze whipped our hair out of our faces. She stared intensely at the city and I couldn't help but watch her eyes grow fiercer by the second. 

"If you don't mind me asking, what's the deal with Kobra Kid? You were pretty hyped up when I told you he was still alive." I whispered quietly. Her eyes turned soft and started to shine from the tears forming. 

"Kid…it's as simple as this Ri, I love him. I've loved him since I first saw him when we were teaming up to take out a pill factory. I can't lose him…I just can't, I don't think I could bear it." She wiped tears from her eyes before they had a chance to fall and then smiled at me cheerily. I couldn't help but wrap my arms around her in a quick hug. 

"Well then I'm going to help you get him back." I smiled and she smiled too. 

"Thank you Ritalin." She sighed and started climbing back down the pile of rocks and I quickly followed, jumping down from boulder to boulder. 

[Ghoul's P.O.V.]

Nighttime already. Gerard was pressing the sensor against my stomach again for probably the billionth time that day as I just layed there and stared at the ceiling. I was enjoying being relaxed, not a single muscle in my body was tensed up and I felt completely and utterly at ease, something I hadn't felt in a very long time. Gee pressed down on my hip and I groaned a little, my hips had really started to hurt when I moved again. 

"Sorry baby." He leaned over and kissed me on the forehead and I just smiled and ran a hand through his hair. 

"It's alright, just try not to wake the baby. Little bugger finally fell asleep." He smirked and leaned down and kissed my stomach. He put the sensor away and then straddled me on all fours, kissing me on the lips. 

"I love you Frankie. With every fiber of my being I love you. Don't you ever, EVER forget it." He rolled on to his side, facing me still and resting a hand lightly on my belly. I put my hand on top of his and turned my head to kiss his cheek. 

"I won't, so long as you don't forget that I love you just the same. Oh and that I carried a baby in my belly for nine months just for you." I winked at him and he smirked and laughed a bit. I giggled along with him before turning my back to him, feeling him move so his chest was against my back. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep. 

[Kid's P.O.V.]

I couldn't move. I couldn't move my legs an inch without pain shooting through my body. I couldn't move at all without screaming out in pain. I had managed to sit myself in a corner, leaning against the wall to hold me up, but that had required a lot of will and lung power to do it. I had muffled my screams by holding my mouth shut, just to avoid frightening Grace anymore than she already was. She sat across from me now, holding her radio tightly to her chest and sobbing quietly. I couldn't do anything to help her now, I could only sit and watch and day dream. I was too afraid to close my eyes because I was too afraid…too afraid that I wouldn't wake up. 

"Kid?" Grace looked up at me, wiping her eyes on the back of her hand. 

"Yeah?" I whispered out, my lungs searing in pain. 

"I hope Poison finds us soon…I don't want to be in here anymore." She started to cry again and I wanted to grab her and pull her into a tight hug and tell her everything would be alright because Gee was definitely going to come for us. It had been so long though and I had a feeling that we were alone, that Poison wasn't going to come back for us even though Ray was here and telling me that I would be freed. It had been too long, I knew Gee and if he was going to come back…he would have already been here by now. 

"Come here Grace." I said quietly, smiling at her slightly as she rushed over. She leaned against my shoulder and I bit back my groans of pain for her sake. "He'll come. I know he will." I didn't want to tell her we would probably die here, she needed to hear that everything would be alright. I just hoped for her sake, everything will be alright.


	51. Chapter 51

[Ritalin's P.O.V.]

Well here goes nothing. Mafia had come up with this ridiculous plan: walk in, kill some Dracs, save Kid, and walk out. No, I'm joking. That was my plan. Mafia's was far better than mine and it involved us somehow procuring one of those ridiculous white boxes on wheels. So here we were, lying on the side of the road in plain sight like we'd been killed and my face felt like it was being cooked from the hot pavement. Not a single van had come down this road and I was getting anxious, hating the fact that we were just sitting here and not doing anything. I was more of a get up and go kind of guy, not a "let's lay here until something happens" guy. I started to sit upright, thinking that a van would never come down this road, when the world decided to prove me wrong and a van appeared over the hill, I quickly flopped back down and closed my eyes. I could hear Mafia suppress a giggle at my impatience and I resisted all temptation to tackle her. The van pulled up and stopped, one wheel quite close to my head. I heard the footsteps of Dracs getting out of the back of the van and head towards us. One of them obnoxiously kicked my head to see if I was alive and then kicked my arm and leg. I wanted to jump up and tear them to bits right there but that "wasn't part of the plan" as Mafia had repeatedly told me. 

"Check for weapons then throw them in the trunk." One of the Dracs ordered and I felt hands start searching me over, one hand wandered over my lower region and I wanted to jump up and shout at him saying "What the fuck man?! You don't just go around groping people's crotches!" Yeah. I'm seriously not a lay and wait guy. We had hidden our ray guns deep down in our boots and for some idiotic reason the Dracs didn't even think to check there even though they scream "look at me I'm big enough to hold three weapons!" I felt a pair of hands grab my arms and another pair grab my legs and they lifted me off the ground, I listened as they shuffled around and then suddenly I was tossed and landed roughly against the metal bottom of the van, surpressing a groan from impact. I had almost recovered when suddenly Mafia was thrown on top of me and I almost screamed out in pain. Almost. 

The Dracs climbed in and the doors shut and after fifteen minutes of driving I cracked one eye open, Mafia had her eye slightly open and she moved her head ever so slightly in a nod and I grinned. I jumped to my feet faster than anyone could react and had one Drac dead in a split second. I grabbed a second as Mafia shot down another and I brought the blade of my knife to his throat, pinning him against the wall of the van, smiling devilishly, grinning from ear to ear and baring my fangs. I probably looked like some demon to him in the darkness of the van, which was part of the plan. Phase 1: Scare a Drac shitless, complete. Mafia walked up and crossed her arms standing slightly behind me. 

"Where are they taking this van?" She snapped and the Drac jumped. I was irritated not being able to see the fear in his eyes so I ripped his mask off. He looked to only be eighteen or so, dark brown hair. He was definitely terrified. He didn't answer so I gripped his collar and pressed on the blade harder, hissing through my teeth and trying to sound as animal like as possible. I wanted to burst out laughing at my actions because they were so ridiculous but nonetheless they were working. He yelped and squeezed his eyes shut. 

"B-Battery C-City!" He shouted out. 

"I know that, but WHERE!?" Mafia shouted. 

"T-The Drac h-headq-quarters!" He was sobbing like a little girl and I was very tempted to just laugh at him and tell him how much of a whimp he was. 

"Is that where Kobra Kid is being held?" She growled, pressing the end of her ray gun to his forehead as I pressed the knife against his skin a little more, causing a small stream of blood to start to flow down his neck. He just yelped in fear and started crying even more. I pulled back my hand and punched him. He still didn't answer and I looked to Mafia and she had the most terrifying expression on her face, she was beyond pissed off. She looked at me. "You're a demon aren't you?" She growled at me and I wondered for a second what she wanted me to do then I remembered what she'd told me if they didn't answer our questions. I was the only one here with fangs after all. I gulped down my own displeasure and put my mouth against the skin on his neck and bit down, wincing at the small "pop" as my teeth pierced his skin. The boy screamed out in pain as I had the realization that I had underestimated how sharp I had actually filed my teeth until now. I had to hold back my gag reflex as blood started to fill my mouth. It wasn't the most disgusting thing I had ever tasted but just the thought that I was drinking down the life of another person was revolting. It tasted like copper and was not the smoothest fluid to go down it was thicker than I had expected. The boy was writhing and desperately trying to push me off of him as he screamed ever louder. I clamped his mouth shut with my free hand and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to think about anything but what I was doing right now. I felt my stomach trying to throw up what was going down in it and I finally had to pull myself away cause I couldn't take it anymore. I kept my angry face as I pulled away and looked at the boy. He looked at me in horror, I could feel the blood dripping off my chin and covering it as well, I could feel it on my teeth still too so I opened my mouth to bare my fangs again. I glanced at Mafia out of the corner of my eye and she looked just as dishevled as I felt. She shook her head then pressed her gun further against the screaming teenager. "WHERE IS KOBRA KID!?" She shouted. 

"HE'S AT THE DRAC'S HEADQUARTERS! I SWEAR IT!" I looked at Mafia and she nodded and I released him. He fell to the floor of the van, crying and grasping his neck. 

"We need to get there and get in unnoticed." Mafia nodded then started stripping one of the Dracs bodies of his clothes. I followed what she was doing and pulled the clothes off of another Drac, leaving the body in only his boxers. I turned to Mafia and she was sliding her own shirt off and I quickly turned away. 

"Hurry up and change." She snapped, she was definitely all business right now and I didn't blame her. She had told me that Kid was the only guy she had ever fallen in love with and I could see the fire in her eyes, dictating she wouldn't give up until she had him back. I heard the thud of shoes hitting the ground and then the sliding of more fabric. I started pulling my own jacket off and laying it down on the dead body in front of me. I started to slide my shirt off when I suddenly felt light fingertips brush the skin on my back. "How'd this happen?" I heard Mafia whisper as she traced the scar that ran down my back. I pulled my shirt off the rest of the way and turned to look at her. 

"Long story short…I was almost caught when I was escaping the city. Korse sliced me as I ran by him." She was fully dressed in the Drac's white garments and was holding the mask in her hand. She was looking down at my chest and I didn't have to look to know what she was seeing. I had a long scar running from my left shoulder to my right hip. I just watched her eyes trace the scar and then she looked up at me searching for answers. 

"There's more to this than you're letting on but I'll drop it for now." She whispered and she suddenly wrapped her arms around me and pulled me tight against her. "I can tell you've been through a lot, hell everyone out here has been through a lot but just…just know that I'm here for you. Okay? Whenever you need me I'll be right there." I slowly wrapped my arms around her and rested my chin on top of her head, closing my eyes briefly before she pulled away. I didn't want to let her go though, I felt as if I wanted to always hold her tight in my arms and I quickly shook the thought away. I don't have time for this, for falling for anyone. I had to find my dad. That's the only reason I wanted to go into Battery City now.


	52. Chapter 52

[Jet's P.O.V.]

I hurried through the halls of the Drac's headquarters. I had to sneak out cause if I had told anyone I was coming back here they probably wouldn't have let me go. I had to check on Kid though, I felt like I had let him down by not telling him that I was going to find Poison. He probably thought I had forgotten about him, that I had left him here alone and wasn't coming back. I held the white ray gun tightly in my hand as I hurried around corners, nodding at occasional passerbys. I froze when Korse exited his office though and quickly resumed walking as if it was a daily thing. He grabbed my shoulder as I passed by though. 

"You're part of the Unit I sent out the diner." It was more of a statement then a question. I nodded quickly. "Where are the rest of you?" 

"Dead. The Killjoys were ready for us when we got there." I deepened my voice to avoid recognition. 

"I'm disappointed. The second team was, thankfully, successful in burning down the diner. They have nowhere to hide. Gather up a new team and report to me when you are prepared. I need you to join a few other groups I sent out into the desert to find a certain Killjoy. Bryar can fill you in when you meet up with him." I nodded quickly and he released my shoulder. They took down the diner?! My mind started racing. They had taken our home from us…WHAT MORE COULD THEY WANT FROM US!? We had no home to go back to…what would happen when I told Ghoul and Poison that their child wouldn't have a home to live in…that we'd have to find a new place to live. Then I remembered that I had left the only photo I had of my family back in the diner, stuffed between the torn cushions that made up my bed. I wanted to cry but I couldn't, not here not now. I hurried quickly down the hall and around the corner, inhaling deeply, not knowing I had been holding my breath the whole time. So close and open to kill him but that wouldn't help me right this second, it would only raise the alarm and I would never get Kid out of here. I hurried down a flight of stairs to the cells and quickened my pace when I grew closer to Kid's room. I showed my ID to the guards outside his room and they let me through. I flung the door open and almost screamed when I saw Kid lying face down on the ground, barely breathing. There was blood on the white floor and Grace was curled up in the corner, holding her head in her hands. I turned and locked the door then yanked my mask off and threw it down. 

"Kid!" I dropped to my knees and gently flipped him over and his eyes opened up slightly wider when he saw me. 

"Jet…thought you left us…" He choked out, sadness creeping into his words. 

"Kid I would never abandon you. I had to go get help and I did. Poison, Ghoul, Atomic, Pony, and even Dr. D are here in Battery City. We're gonna get you out of here." His eyes opened up wider but his body stayed perfectly still. He was bruised, bloody, and broken. "What'd they do to you?" I asked softly. 

"They made an example of me in front of the whole city and…and…I saw my mother Jet…she's here and the worst part is…she enjoyed it." Tears slipped down his cheeks and I brushed them away for him seeing as he wasn't moving his arms or legs at all. 

"I'm so sorry Kid." Then I remembered…the gathering in town. Kid was there...we had left him to be beaten. Tears welled up in my own eyes. 

"What's wrong?" 

"We were there Kid…we were driving by and we saw the crowd but I-I thought Korse was just giving a public announcement again. I'm so sorry Kid!" I pulled him into a hug and heard him whimper and quickly released him. 

"It's okay Jet…you didn't know…" He tried to smile but he was in too much pain to manage one. I heard the door being unlocked and I looked at Mikey, he just nodded and I stood up and grabbed my mask, quickly yanking it on just as the door flung open. 

"Korse wants all the Dracs out on the streets. He thinks that there may be some Killjoys hiding out in the city somewhere." I looked at the Drac then back to Kid. 

"Why does he think that?" 

"They found a van parked in the backside of the city near the wall, bunch of dead Draculoids in the back. Korse wants to make sure that everyone is safe so he's deployed all available units into the city." The Drac quickly turned and left and I shut the door behind him and ripped my mask back off and turned back to Kid. 

"Ray…go, please…just go. I don't want them catching you now. Sounds like you have enough people here to get us out when you're ready…please don't screw it up now." Mikey just stared up at the ceiling as he spoke and I saw tears threaten to spill out of his eyes. 

"I'll go Mikey, but I promise you I will be back. We will be here for you as soon as possible. I promise!" He looked so helpless lying there on the ground so I gently grabbed his arms and pulled him slowly to the corner of the room. 

"GAH! RAY STOP IT HURTS!" He screamed out. I propped him up in the corner of the room so he could at least see what the hell was going on around him. I kneeled down in front of him. 

"Kid-"

"Just go Ray." He whispered, holding back his tears as much as he could. I nodded and then looked at the little girl in the opposite corner. She was curled up, eyes closed and head buried in her knees as much as possible. I looked back at Kid, who was staring blankly at the ceiling, and slowly pulled my mask back on and hurried out of the room. It killed me to leave him in there in such a state…it killed me period. I felt tears slip down my cheeks and I wiped them away as they rolled down my chin and neck. Another Drac came up beside me. 

"You're the leader of Unit 6 correct?" The Drac said and I turned my head slightly to look at him. He was blonde and his had this fierce gaze on his face. A thick strip of gauze was plastered on his neck. 

"Yes. Who are you?" 

"Bob Bryar." He growled, shooting me the angriest glare I had ever witnessed. So this was the guy I was supposed to meet up with, oh joy. 

[Ghoul's P.O.V.]

Gerard and I were lying on the bed together still, he was trying to brush the knots out of my hair and I was screaming at him to stop because it hurt so bad. 

"Come on Frank, your hair is clean for once and this is our only chance to save your hair from having to be completely cut off cause it's so damn tangled." He yanked the brush he'd found in the drawers in the bathroom through my hair again, catching several large knots. 

"DAMNIT GEE!" I yelped and he just kept brushing it. "Maybe I'll just cut it back to the way it was in high school." I groaned and he paused for a minute and I turned my head to look up at him, he was sitting behind me and I was leaning against him between his legs. He seemed to be lost in thought all of a sudden. 

"What did it look like in high school?" He suddenly asked. I raised an eyebrow at him. 

"Uh, I had this black faux-hawk and the sides of my hair were short and dyed red. I was a little creative with my hair back then. I'd probably still have it that way right now if I had access to scissors and dye but y'know that's impossible nowadays." He smiled at me and then started to pull the brush through my hair again. "You have to take a shower now so I get to rip a brush through your hair." I growled and he just chuckled. "What was your hair like in high school? Any special style?" I asked as I layed my hands on my stomach, feeling the baby start moving around again. 

"Uh nothing special actually. My hair was pretty much shoulder length and jet black like it is now. I didn't get too crazy with color until I dyed it a permanent red a few years back." I looked up at him and he smiled and then kissed me lightly on the lips. I smirked and had to shift slightly when the baby landed a good blow to my side. 

"Ouch." I whispered and Gerard's hands suddenly came into view on my stomach. He started rubbing my belly in slow circles and I felt my body relax and I sighed, closing my eyes. "Thanks." 

"No problem babe." I smiled and tilted my head back to kiss the side of his jaw, which was really the only thing I could reach right now. I looked back down at my stomach and watched the baby shift just below my skin. Gerard started to laugh softly behind me and I giggled. "What does that feel like Frankie?" 

"Uh…wow…I don't really know how to describe it, I guess it feels sort like when you're really really hungry and your stomach grumbles only this is continuous and sorta painful and…I dunno..." I chuckled nervously and he just rested his chin on my shoulder and continued to rub my stomach. I turned my eyes to the TV that we had left on and started to watch the news, which was the only thing ever on in this damn place but hey at least it was TV. I didn't really pay close attention to what was being said until a huge inferno appeared on the screen. 

"Wow, that's a huge fire. Hope there weren't any Killjoys in that area." I whispered and Gerard lifted his head to look at the screen. I heard him gasp and his hands pulled back from my stomach a bit. Alarmed, I turned my head to look at him and the look on his face frightened me. His eyes were wide and I could see tears start to well up in them. He looked like he'd just lost everything in the world and that there was nothing left for him. I tore my gaze from him and looked at the screen and my heat seemed to collapse and fall down inside my chest. I recognized one thing on the screen and it was the sign that used to rest atop our diner. My breath hitched in my throat and I couldn't open my mouth to take another breath. Its like the whole world just came to a stand still in the blink of an eye. I felt my lungs start to burn with the lack of oxygen but I couldn't bring myself to do anything but stare at the tv and feel the tears stream down my cheeks. My vision started to blur and the edges turn black but still I couldn't move a muscle. The blackness swept over my vision and I felt nothing. 

[Ritalin's P.O.V.]

"Mafia do you know where we are going?" I whispered as we hurriedly walked down the sidewalk alongside one of Battery City's many streets. Getting in was rather simple, being as I still had my identification. We slipped into the city in the van, and I had swerved off to the right on the first sidestreet we saw. We drove to the back of the city and ditched the van, walking briskly into the center of town. We made sure to stay next to each other, being as we were both wearing Drac uniforms and masks it would be difficult to identify each other if we got separated. 

"The last time we were here we stayed in this hotel off the main road. I want to check there and see if we can find anyone before we go any further into the city. It'll be difficult trying to do this without the others." I nodded and followed her as she tried to remember where the hotel they had stayed at was located. After about an hour of walking up along the main road she pointed at a large hotel building and picked up the pace. I recognized the building from when I had lived here, my dad used to take me there to meet with his friends. We hurried into the hotel building and sat down in the lobby, facing the walkway so we could watch for Ghoul, Poison or anyone we recognized. We sat been sitting there for an hour or so and I was drifting off into sleep when she suddenly gripped my shoulder. My eyes shot open and I looked around to see who she was looking at. She grabbed my chin and turned it. She stood up and grabbed my hand, pulling me after her. There was a Drac without a mask standing in front of the elevator. I didn't recognize him but she did and when we were right behind him and the elevator opened she pushed him eagerly inside and pulled me in quickly. The doors closed and she ripped her mask off. 

"JET!" She exclaimed loudly and the man's eyes went wide. 

"Mafia? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE!" He shouted, smiling, and yanked her into a tight hug. 

"Saving Kid, just like you." He smiled widely at her before his eyes briefly caught mine and he looked back to her. 

"Who's your friend?" He whispered and I sighed and pulled my mask off, black strands of hair immediately falling into my eyes. 

"This is Ritalin. I met him out in the desert and he had the Trans Am. He told me Poison had left it with his group and then agreed to take me to Battery City and help me rescue Kid and he told me that you guys were already here." She was ecstatic, practically bursting at the seems with happiness, at the present moment. Jet held his hand out to me and I shook it quickly. "Is everybody here?" 

"Yeah and…and I just went and saw Kid…" I watched her eyes fly open and her hands clench. 

"And…" She whispered, tears threatening to spill over the edges of her eyelids at any bad news. 

"He's…he isn't well. They beat him pretty badly…I'm so sorry Mafia, but…he couldn't even move the whole time I was with him." Tears were falling down Jet's face and Mafia started to break down. I just watched the two cry and I didn't do a thing but stand and watch. I wasn't good with this kind of thing, I normally just took my sadness out in the form of rage. The elevator beeped as we reached the floor Jet had punched in and I backed out of the elevator, pulling my mask back on to avoid any detection due to the blue streak in my hair. Mafia slowly pulled hers on and Jet did the same. We trudged down the hall, Jet leading the way, and stopped outside Room 109.

"FRANK!" A scream came from the otherside of the door and Jet's head snapped up and he shoved the key into the lock and pushed the door open, running in, followed quickly by Mafia. I walked into the room and froze.


	53. Chapter 53

[Poison's P.O.V.]

"FRANK! YOU BETTER FUCKING WAKE UP RIGHT NOW!" I shook Frank lightly and had even resorted to slapping him across the face to see if he would stir but nothing. "FRANK!" I screamed again and yanked his lifeless body up into my chest. I turned my head, my vision blurry from tears and saw Jet Star and…Mafia? "M-Mafia…" I cried onto Frank's shoulder. "RAY PLEASE! Go get Atomic!" I snapped and he bolted out of the room. I buried my face into Frank's shoulder, squeezing him lightly and crying my eyes out. "Please Frankie…please…don't leave me…" I heard the door fly open and hit the wall and I felt a pair of hands work their way past me, I lay Frankie down on the bed, my hand resting on his stomach and feeling a suddenly very active baby shifting inside of him. I looked up at Atomic and she glanced at me for a brief second before placing her hands over Frank's heart and starting to rhythmically press down on his chest then breathe into his mouth. CPR…why the hell didn't I do CPR? I felt myself start falling apart. WHY THE HELL DIDN'T I DO CPR!? I'm such an idiot! I put my hands in my hair and gripped it tightly, pulling on it. I felt hands grab mine and spin me around to face them. Mafia had a stern expression on her face. 

"Stop trying to rip your hair out and let it go. Just help now." I nodded and we both turned and looked at Atomic. 

"Poison I need you to breathe into his mouth when I tell you to and Mafia you need to do the chest compressions. I have to get the ultrasound machine and check on the baby." We both snapped into action and Atomic jumped up off the bed and ran across the room, digging through her pockets before yanking out a key and jamming it into the lock of the medical case she brought with her. She yanked out the monitor and raced back over, jumping on the bed and landing next to Frank. She flicked the machine to life and placed the sensor on his stomach. I watched her inbetween breaths and her brow started to furrow and she was pressing harder on his stomach as if to find…no…no I can't think about that. The baby is fine, Frank needs help. I ripped my gaze from her and breathed into Frank's mouth, stroking his forehead with my thumb. 

"Come on baby, please come back…please…" I kissed him lightly on the lips, praying he would open his eyes. 

"Guys, the baby is resting up at the top of his stomach, pushing against his lungs slightly, constricting his breathing. We need to sit him up right now." I nodded and stood up on the bed, putting one foot on either side of him and lifting him up by the arms, Mafia and Atomic put their hands under his chest and back and we shifted him so he was leaning up against the headboard. "Start CPR again right now!" Atomic snapped and Mafia and I jumped back to it. I breathed into his mouth as much as I could and nothing happened so we did it again and again. I was winded but I kept going for Frankie. I breathed into his mouth one last time before I felt I was going to black out and I prayed for him to open his eyes, but…nothing. I put my head on his shoulder and cried into the crook of his neck. I felt a hand rest lightly on my head and after a few moments the fingers started to weave into my hair, tangling themselves up in it. I didn't care right now…I'd just lost my everything. My chest heaved with each sob, my breath was limited, I choked out sobs and I felt as if my body was going to crumble. 

"Poison…." Atomic whispered but I couldn't reply I just couldn't even move. I wished I could just curl up and die alongside him. "Poison…" She asked again but I still didn't answer.

"Gee…we really need to brush your hair…" The voice cracked as they spoke but I froze up because I knew the voice. I sat up slightly and beautiful hazel eyes looked back at me. 

"FRANK!" I jumped up and yanked him against my chest and he laughed slightly, catching his breath. I held him slightly away from me. "Don't you ever FUCKING do that to me again! EVER! You understand me Iero!?" He just smiled at me and I broke down, he had one of those smiles that just made you melt everytime you saw it. 

"I'll try not to." I kissed him passionately and heard someone clear their throat. Frank's gaze turned to someone behind me and I turned my head to see Atomic pressing the sensor against his stomach still. "The baby?" He whispered. 

"The baby is fine…whew…close though, very close." She sighed and Frank's body relaxed back into the pillows he was now sitting against. "Though…what caused this to happen?" She looked at Frank and me. I looked at Frank and he had tears start to well up in his eyes. 

"They burned the diner down…the Dracs…our home…its gone." Frank choked out and I buried my face into the crook of his neck and placed one hand on his stomach, rubbing it in slow circles. I kissed his neck as she held back tears. 

"So it was shock and the pressure of the baby against your ribcage that caused your heart to stop." She looked down at the monitor and then after a few more seconds pulled it away from Frank's skin. "We're just gonna have to watch you closely for a week or so Frank, I don't want you to start having contractions or anything cause of this. You've got two months left and I will make sure you get to the end of this." Frank smiled slightly at her before resting his head back against the headboard. 

"We need to get out of here…as quickly as possible." Jet's voice piped up. We all turned our heads to look at him. "I wish we had a week to give Frank to make sure he's alright but I don't think Kid is going to last a week. That gathering we drove by…that was a gathering to make an example of Kid…he's pretty torn up and if we don't get him help soon then…then he won't make it Gerard." Frank's arms wrapped around me and he nuzzled his forhead against my cheek. He was trying to keep me calm after he had just been dead. He was the most amazing man I had ever met. I held back my outburst for his sake, he didn't need any more freak out moments than we already had. I just looked at Ray and nodded. 

"We'll get him tonight then." I announced and everyone seemed to agree. Now it was time to plan and time to save my brother. 

"Where's Mafia?" Jet said suddenly and everyone turned to look where she had been standing but she was gone. "Or that Ritalin for that matter." 

"Who the hell is Ritalin?" I asked and felt Frank slump against me and my heart started to sink and I turned my head quickly to look at him. He was still breathing and his face was serene, he curled up against me and I sighed a breath of relief as I realized he was just sleeping. 

"This kid she met out in the desert, he's kinda scary if you ask me. Where the hell did they go…" Jet started to storm out of the room 

"JET! Leave them be, if they want to go running off then I'm pretty sure they can handle themselves. We on the other hand need to get busy working on a plan to get Kid out of the Drac headquarters." Jet sat down on the end of the bed and so did Atomic and we started planning it out. 

[Ritalin's P.O.V.] 

I watched Mafia slip out of the room after Frank had woken up. I looked back at him briefly though, his swollen belly sticking out a good distance from his frame. My dad had been like him once…he was the first experiment for what Frank was going through. I was the first ever child to be born from a man and Frank's would hopefully be the second, none of the other experiments lived long enough to have their children because Korse was eliminating them one by one. He feared that these children would be stronger than normal being as they were conceived by two men and he also feared that this would eventually bolster the Killjoys' ranks. I've only lived this long because I never gave in to my emotions other than rage. It's all I have left now, a burning hate of Korse and of myself for letting him make me this way. I slipped quietly out of the room after Mafia and chased her down the hall. She jumped into the elevator and I put my hand in between the closing doors and they jumped back open. 

"Ritalin, please just let me go." She folded her arms across her chest. 

"I'm not stopping you. I am going with you though. If Kid is unable to move then you definitely won't be able to get him out of there without my help, plus I have my own agenda after that." I reached forward and hit the lobby button then yanked my mask back on and she did the same. We walked out of the elevator and outside then turned left to head towards the Dracs' headquarters.


	54. Chapter 54

[Mafia's P.O.V.]

It had taken us five minutes to reach the doors of the "Draculoid Headquarters For Better Living Industries", as the sign on the door read. Better living my ass. I looked to Ritalin and he nodded and we entered the building, I fingered the plastic card in my pants pocket and, when we reached a door that had a key card lock, I swiped the piece of plastic. It was Jet Star's card, I had swiped it back in the hotel when he wasn't really paying attention. It was our only way in I knew that much. The machine beeped and the door unlocked. We walked down the bright white hallway around corner after corner, until I thought for sure we were lost. 

"Mafia, this way." Ritalin nodded to a door on his right and he opened it, entering a large office area. I froze in the doorframe though when I saw an all too familiar man standing at the desk. He looked up at us, his gaze cold and fierce, sending shivers through my spine. Korse. There were about twenty-five other Dracs standing in the room and in front of them lay a body, it wasn't moving and my heart immediately sank for the poor soul who had been killed. 

"Come in. We needed some more volunteers." Korse hissed, an evil smirk spreading across his face. Ritalin moved forward though and I followed him, standing with the other Dracs. As much as I didn't want to, I looked down at the body lying on the ground, his face was twisted into a look of pain and blood had seeped out of his body and lay in a huge puddle around and under him. I had to choke back my sudden nausea and my tears for the poor man. Ritalin stepped forward from the group of Dracs and I reached to grab his shoulder but he stepped forward more quickly. He walked right up to Korse. 

"You. Fucking. Bastard." He growled at Korse and whipped out his ray gun and shoved it up under Korse's chin and used his free hand to rip the mask off of his head. "YOU KILLED HIM!" Ritalin shouted, completely enraged. I didn't know what to do but stare in shock. The Dracs around me raised their ray guns to shoot him and I snapped out of it, whipping my own ray gun out and putting it to the back of one's head and firing. I ripped my mask off quickly and took out another Drac, letting him drop to the ground and the others realized what was going on. Ritalin's hand flashed out and he punched Korse in the face, causing him to black out and then he turned and started firing at Dracs left and right, drawing his knife and stabbing various Dracs and slitting others' throats. It was like watching something out of a movie…he was scary as hell right now, to the point where I was frozen stiff watching him. He managed to some how take all the Dracs out without gaining a single injury himself. He turned to me, blood splattered across his face and dripping off his hands. 

"RUN MAFIA! GO FIND KID! RUN!" He growled and at the mention of Kid I turned and darted out of the room, running down the hallway, shoving door after door open but finding nothing until I came to the last door and in faint silver writing on the white door it said "cell block." My heart started pounding and I kicked the door open and ran inside. 

[Ghoul's P.O.V.]

I lay there on the bed after waking up from a short nap after basically dying. Gerard was still lying next to me, his head nuzzled into my hair, one hand resting lightly on my stomach. I turned my head to look at his face and he smiled down at me. 

"I'm gonna freak out everytime you fall asleep now, you know that right?" He laughed lightly and I just giggled. I sat up on the bed with Gee's help and I immediately regretted it. Pain wrapped around my waist and abdomen, and up my back. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, the pain disappearing just as quickly as it had come. "You okay?"

"Yeah just sat up to fast that's all, my back hurts from the baby laying on it all the time and my hips are hurting again." I leaned back against the headboard and Gerard sat up and scooted closer to me, leaning his head in the crook of my neck. I smiled and rested my head on top of his, placing my hands on my belly and feeling our kid shift slightly. As if on cue the same pain from ten minutes ago wrapped around my body again, but slightly more intense. I just closed my eyes and shrugged it off. I felt the need to use the restroom real quick and I slid out from under Gerard, who had quickly fallen asleep, probably worn from having to deal with my problems all day, y'know my death stunt and shit. I scooted to the edge of the bed and pushed myself up, refusing to admit that I couldn't get off the bed easily anymore. I walked, painfully, to the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror for a moment, staring at my impressively large stomach. I sighed and went to go to the toilet when the pain came back again. "Shit!" I groaned as I realized it was more intense than the last one. Maybe I was in…No! Nope definitely can't be that. Not due for another two months thank you very much, but as if to prove me wrong, five minutes later I was leaning against the wall in pain again. I heard a door open and close in the main room. 

 

"Ghoul?" Atomic called. She could help, but no I can't…I'm fine just fine. 

"AGGGHHH!" I half groaned and half screamed out as my pain intensified. I slapped my hand over my mouth and leaned against the door, sinking down to the floor. 

"GHOUL!? GHOUL! OPEN UP! FRANK GODAMNIT!" Atomic shouted and banged on the other side of the door. I couldn't though…this wasn't…can't be…

[Atomic's P.O.V.]

"Frank?! Open the fucking door!" I slammed my shoulder into the door in an attempt to break it down but it was too heavy for my small build.

"Gerard!" His eyes shot open at the call of his name. "Frank is in labor and I can't bust the door down! Please help!" Before I could finish my sentence Gerard was at the door and shoving with all of his might. In seconds flat he had the door down, missing Frank by a foot. He looked even worse than he had sounded. He was pale and sweating, his knuckles turning white from clutching the edge of the bathtub so hard.

I ran the short distance to Frank and began brushing the hair from his face."Gerard get a wash cloth soaked in cold water and put it on his forehead!" I rushed from the bathroom to retrieve that medical kit I had stolen earlier.Gerard shouted to me,

"How cold?"

"The colder the better!" I had never actually done this before even though I have acted like I had. The last thing I needed right now was lack of focus. Hurrying back to Frank I opened the equipment as I ran. Sliding on my knees, I made sure I had everything that was needed to perform the operation. Gerard was murmering while Frank squeezed his eyes shut and breathed deeply in and out. "Get his shirt off!" Gerard tried to be quick and gentle as to not hurt Frank and ended up tearing the shirt in two. "We'll have to get his pants off too."

"I don't think now is the time!" Frank half screamed as a convulsion wracked through his entire body.

"Frank shut up and breath!" Gerard helped me to cut off his pants then lower his boxers slightly so his lower abdomen was showing but he was still covered. "Frank this is going to hurt a lot."

"Oh joy!" Frank screamed out in pain. I grabbed the sterilization kit out of the medical case and started soaking the scalpels and everything in the solution. Frank glanced at what I was doing in-between contractions and I tried to keep a smile on my face and help him stay calm but judging by the increasingly frightened glances he gave me, it wasn't working. I turned to Frank after cleaning everything I'd need, mainly just back up tools. I was admittedly terrified…I hadn't done something like this. What if I screwed up? What if something goes wrong? No. Don't think like that. Everything will be fine, I'll get the baby out and we'll all be fine. Except for the fact that we're here in the middle of a fricking bathroom in a hotel in fucking Battery City. Y'know no big deal or anything. 

"Fuck it. I'm going in." I position myself in front of Frank and prepared for a long night.

"You better hurry or this baby will find another exit route!" Frank was becoming weaker by the minute. 

"Frank, take a deep breath and hold it. Gerard grab the brush sitting on the counter and let Frank use the handle to bite down on." He nodded and quickly grabbed the brush and Frank bit down on the handle as I said. "Count of three?" 

"No just fucking do it!" Frank snapped to the best extent, being as he had a brush in his mouth. I nodded and placed the sharp blade of the scalpel to his skin, trying to steady myself as the first drops of blood escaped the cut. I glanced at Frank's face and he was squeezing his eyes shut as tight as he could, still tears started to escape them. I turned away and focused back on what I was doing. I pressed harder still and started to pull the blade across his skin, holding back the nausea that was trying to force it's way up to the surface. I almost stopped halfway, thinking there is no way in hell I could do this, I shouldn't be doing this, but a glance at Gerard's and Frank's frightened faces was enough to keep me going.The only hope they had left was me. I had no choice but to go through with this. I made the cut continue down watching as the scarlet drops formed on the surface of his skin. So far it wasn't enough to get me grossed out. Like I said so far. The difficult part was yet to come. Let's just say by the time I was finished cutting Frank open I felt like a psycho murderer. There was blood everywhere and Gerard had made multiple runs to grab towels.

But in the end it was a miracle. There was an actual living thing inside Frank. We had literally had to pull this little bundle of "joy" out but in the end it was breath taking. It had taken hours to get this little guy into the world and there was still some work to be done. While Gerard wrapped up the baby and kept him warm I had to stitch Frank back together. Everyone knew this would leave a nasty scar but we also new Frank didn't care now that he had a beautiful baby boy in his life. Reminds me…we should probably tell Frank he had a son. 

"Frank?" I glanced up at his sweaty face; he looked far paler than he had before this. I was worried about the amount of blood he had lost but I felt confident he would be all right once I finished stitching up the wound. 

"Wh-what's wrong with my baby?" He choked out, his eyelids fluttered a bit and I looked to Gerard, a concerned expression on my face. 

"Nothing, Frank…he's perfectly fine." Gerard carefully laid the baby down in the crook of Frank's elbow. I put the needle through his skin one last time. Frank didn't seem to notice as he stared into the eyes of his healthy unnamed son. The world dissolved around the new parents as smiles spread across their faces from ear to ear.

"Congrats…" I whispered. I cleaned up the mess I had made in bringing new life into this world. It brought a smile to my face, just the thought of my new found accomplishment. I would have to reward myself for a job well done and I think I knew just the way to do it.

[Party's POV]

It was amazing. Even though I was looking at him, I still couldn't comprehend that he was really here…my son, our son was here, lying in Frank's arms. Frank eyes hadn't looked away from the tiny infant since I placed him in his arms. I looked at Atomic as she finished cleaning Frank off and I couldn't help but smile as wide as I possibly could at her. She glanced up at me, smiling back and I stood up and walked around Frank to her. She stood up and I pulled her into a tight hug.

"Thank you." I sputtered out, tears streaming down my cheeks. "Thank you so godamn much." I cried as I hugged her. 

"You're welcome." She said back into the fabric of my shirt. We both turned to look at Frank, who was still smiling at the little person resting in his arms. I kneeled down beside him and stroked his forehead with my thumb, admiring him for everything he'd gone through. He was a little cold to the touch though, sweaty but more like a cold sweat. His eyelids fluttered as if he were trying to desperately hold them open. 

"Frank?" I asked softly and he turned his head to look at me. "You okay?" 

"I'm fine…more than fine…everything's just perfect." He got slower and slower as he kept talking, his words coming out incoherently towards the end. I flashed my eyes to Atomic and she dropped back down beside him and put her hand to his forehead. 

"Frank? Be honest, how do you feel?" 

"I feel fine…just….. fine…" He said lazily, almost as if it were a chore to form the words and his eyes fluttered shut. 

"Gerard. Take the baby. Now!" 

[Kid's P.O.V.]

I hadn't moved, not once. Not that I could really feel anything anyways anymore, I'd take that over the pain though. Grace was curled against my side, sound asleep. I just stared at the door for hours, not much else to do but trace the outline over and over again repeatedly until it was there even when I shut my eyes. I heard commotion outside and looked down quickly at Grace. 

"Grace…hey Grace wake up." Her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at me. "Grace go to the other side of the room, stay there no matter what. Like we always do okay?" She nodded and quickly got up and ran over to the opposite corner from where I was. I listened to the sound of feet running down the hall, slamming door after door open. The door to our cell was suddenly flung open, a Drac stood in the doorway and just looked at me for what seemed like forever before finally coming towards me. I closed my eyes waiting for the inevitable punch or kick to the face or chest that I would normally get, but nothing happened. I opened my eyes just as the Drac reached forward and grabbed my shoulders, yanking me forwards into their chest. They held me back then and I just stared at them before snappig out of it and regaining my composure. "Is this supposed to be some new kind of torure? I have to deal with Dracs hugging me now? Pathetic…really truly…this is just sad." I snapped, adding a smirk on top of it. Trying to get under the Drac's skin had become my new pastime since I'd been in here. "Well, what are you waiting for? I know you didn't come in here to show me sympathy so just get it the hell over with." The Drac kneeled down in front of me, placing a hand against my cheek and it was only then I realized the hand was extremely feminine. A girl? Since when were there female Dracs? The Dracs other hand clenched into a fist and I closed my eyes waiting for the punch but there was none. I opened my eyes again and saw the Drac's hand grasp the fake hair at the top of their mask, pulling it quickly off. Red tipped hair fell out around her face and my mouth dropped in shock. 

"I could never hurt you Kid. Never." I froze in shock, my body tensing up before relaxing so quickly it hurt. Tears started to slip down my face and I pressed my head against her shoulder, wishing I could wrap my arms around her and hold her close. 

"Mafia." I breathed in-between sobs.

"I'm here Kid, I'll n-never l-leave you…never." She choked out, silent sobs breaking up her words. She held me tight in her arms again, my back searing with pain but I didn't care. She was here, she found me…Mafia.


	55. Chapter 55

[Poison's P.O.V.] 

I snatched the small infant, who I now noticed was having slight problems breathing, from Frankie's arms as he passed out. Atomic was frantically checking his pulse and putting her hand on his forehead.

"Gerard. We need to get Frank and the baby out of Battery City. The three of you need to go. NOW." I didn't even have time to say anything before the door to our room was flung open and Jet Star came in. 

"Hey Poison I-where are you?" 

"Atomic…I can't-" I began but she turned her fierce gaze to me. 

"WELL TOO BAD! YOU WILL FUCKING GET YOUR BOYFRIEND AND YOUR SON OUT OF HERE! NO BUT'S! MAN UP AND START GETTING READY TO LEAVE!" She spat at me and I quickly nodded, I turned to leave the bathroom and Jet was right in front of me. 

"Is that-" He looked down at the tiny baby in my arms and I nodded. 

"He's our son." I said teary eyed. Jet had obviously noticed Frank laying on the ground behind us and his eyes widened.

"Frank is he…he's alright right?" I could see the buildup of tears in his eyes. 

"We don't know for sure Jet, but he will be better off if we get him out of Battery City where we don't have to worry about being attacked as much. Get the van ready, you three are leaving." Atomic was trying to prop Frank against the wall so I looked at Jet and gently handed him my tiny baby boy. I got on the other side of Frank and we leaned him against the wall, his eyes fluttering open then back shut, his hand resting on his vacant stomach probably due to the pain of the surgery. I looked up at Jet and he was staring intently down at the little bundle in his arms and a smile spread across his face. 

"Have you named him yet?" Jet looked to Frank and I and I looked to Frank, he was holding his eyes open to the best of his ability. 

"No…" Frank choked out and looked longingly up at the bundle in his arms. Jet obviously noticed and kneeled down carefully, resting the baby in Frank's arms. I watched Frank for a bit, he was smiling happily and cooing to our son. 

"You are just one little ball of energy aren't you. I mean come on little guy, three months of you beating my insides to a pulp and you're finally free and you're still inflicting pain on me, though now it's on my hair." We all laughed as the baby's tiny palm grasped onto a lock of Frank's hair and pulled on it. "I love you for it though." Frank kissed his forehead then looked up at me and smiled, that heart-wrenching smile of his. After a few minutes I could see Frank losing his grip on the baby and I quickly took him up into my arms and then handed him to Jet. I turned back to Frank and kneeled down. 

"Frank…Atomic is right. We-we need to go." I knew he could tell I was torn apart having to leave my brother here again, but knowing if we didn't leave I might lose more than just my brother, I might lose the person I love and our child. Suddenly there were three loud bangs on the door. I looked to Jet then got up and raced to the door, looking through the peephole.

[Mafia's P.O.V.]

I was dragging Kid down the hall with the help of this young girl who said her name was Grace. He was holding back his screams of pain, knowing there was no other way but this. I was crying as I dragged him, each stifled groan hit my heart like a freight train. I kicked the door open that led back out to the main hallway and came face to face with Ritalin. There was blood running down over his right eye and he was holding his arm, blood squishing out through his fingertips. There was no hint of pain on his face though, just one of pure determination. 

"Korse got away. We need to get out of here. Right now." I nodded and he moved and took Grace's place on Kid's left arm. He managed to get him so that he was hanging between us, one arm wrapped around each of our necks. "I saw Show Pony and Dr. D…they were in the back room speaking with someone…don't think we can trust them." He growled and my mouth hung open in shock. Dr. D? Show Pony? How-why-why would they be here? Why would they be talking with someone at the Drac headquarters…why would they betray us? Ritalin started moving and I took off with him, dragging Kid quickly down the halls of the Drac headquarters. We ran out the door we had used to come in and then quickly veered from the lobby to the back and found an exit door. We burst out through it, and ran to a van that was parked nearby. Ritalin yanked the back doors open and helped me lay Kid down on the floor. I sat down beside him, resting his head on my leg. Grace climbed in and sat down near me as Ritalin went and got in the driver's seat. The van lurched forwards and all we could do was hope that we wouldn't be caught, that we would make it back to the hotel and get everyone out of here. Out of this godforsaken city forever. The van stopped and we waited, listening for anything that might imply danger. The back doors opened and Ritalin peeked in. "Okay Mafia you need to go get them and we'll wait here. I can't go, they'll notice me instantly." He gestured to all the blood that was trailing down his face and arm. I looked to Kid and he just smiled.

"I'm not going anywhere." He whispered and I leaned down and kissed him, more passionately than we ever had before and I pulled away just as quickly and jumped out of the van, yanking my mask back on and running into the hotel. I walked briskly through the lobby and hit the up button on the nearest elevator and got in. When the doors opened I tore off down the hallway to room 109 and banged on the door three times as hard as I could. I froze when I heard something though…a cry? More like a…a baby's cry. I banged again on the door and it was suddenly thrown open and I was yanked inside. 

"Mafia! Where the hell did you go!?" 

"T-t-to save Kid…we-we need to go like…right now!" I was out of breath and struggling to pull air into my lungs. Then there it was again, that high pitched squeal of a newborn. I looked at Poison questioningly and he motioned with his hand to Jet Star who was sitting in a chair, cradling a tiny baby in his arms. I saw Atomic sitting on the bed next to a very pale looking and pained Ghoul. "Ritalin has a van waiting outside…just leave everything except necessities…we need to go before the Dracs find us!" Poison snapped to it and ran over to the bed, sliding his arms gently under Ghoul and lifting him, carrying him bridal style. Atomic started throwing medical equipment into a silver case and then grabbed a few jugs of water and headed out the door into the hallway. Jet walked up to me and let me get a good look at the tiny little baby swaddled in towels. He smiled at me and I smiled back and we turned and walked briskly out the door. Jet pulled the baby closer to him, hiding the baby from any prying eyes. We jumped into the elevator and headed down, we walked quickly through the lobby and out the front door where Ritalin was just opening the back of the van. I jumped in first, taking my spot back against Kid and then Atomic jumped in, followed by Jet, and then Ghoul and Poison. When Poison saw Kid his eyes went wide and he was just frozen. 

"M-Mikey…" He choked out finally snapping out of it enough to lay Frank down on the ground, propping his head up on his leg like I was with Mikey. 

"Gee…you're here…" Mikey choked out through sobs. They burst out into loud cries and Poison leaned forward and picked Mikey gently up and hugged him, tears soaking both of their jackets. 

"I thought I'd never see you again…" Poison cried and cried, holding Mikey up. Mikey was crying too but more because of a mixture of pain and overwhelming happiness. Ritalin sped through the city and when Mikey finally was let go, the baby let out a small cry, causing all heads to turn towards Jet. 

"Gerard is that…" Mikey began and Poison just burst out into a huge smile, tears still streamlining down his face. 

"Yeah…that's our son Mikey…that's your nephew…" Mikey stared in awe at the baby that Gee had taken from Jet. He was beaming, just as happy as he could be and then he turned his gaze to me and smiled even wider, if that was possible. 

"GUYS WE HAVE A PROBLEM!" I heard Ritalin shout loud enough to hear through the metal divider. The van came to a complete stop and the back doors swung open. "Engine is over heating I cant get it going!" I looked behind them down the road…seeing two vans led by a sleek black car heading this way. 

[Poison's P.O.V.]

I handed my son back to Jet and quickly kissed Frank on the lips, stroking the side of his face before jumping out and running around to the front with Ritalin, he was working desperately to try and stop the engine from smoking and trying to get it started but there was nothing, not a a single thing. There was a sudden roar of an engine behind us and I turned in time to see an all too familiar Trans Am slide to a stop. A girl got out of the driver's seat and tossed the keys at me. I caught them and looked at her.

"I think you'll need that." She yelled from under the mask that covered her whole face as she jogged towards us. "You're a better fighter than us all Poison...I'll help out here." My heart sank as I quickly realized what she meant. We were stranded, and the Dracs were coming down the road quickly. I walked to the back of the car and looked at Atomic who was checking Kid's injuries, Mafia was stroking the side of his face looking down at my brother lovingly, Kid was smiling up at her and I could tell he was truly in love with her because I had the same look on my face whenever I looked at Frank, then I looked to Jet who was cradling my newborn son in his arms, my son just kept on sleeping like nothing was going on, his pale skin and adorable little nose and his dark brown hair had a tiny curl to it on the sides…just like Frankie, and finally I looked at Frank. He was looking down at our son, that beautiful smile of his I believe would forever be permanently plastered to his face, but when he looked back at me, his hazel eyes found the answers quickly. His face dropped and he tried to get up quickly. I rushed forwards and pushed him back down. 

"Gee don't!" Frank started sobbing, his eyes overflowing immediately with tears. I didn't want to see him like this, I wanted him to be happy, raising our son and enjoying life…without me. 

"Frank, listen to me. Stay here and take care of our son…please." I choked back sobs and brushed my tears away before leaning in and kissing Frank before he could say anything else. I smiled at him and started to pull away. 

"GERARD! NO! PLEASE!" Frank shouted, grabbing everyone's attention and they were about to start protesting when I carefully shut the van's doors and locked them from the outside. I turned to face the road, brushing the tears from my eyes as I walked to the Trans Am. I got in and turned the car on, looking back once more at the van that held my everything in it. I could see Frank banging on the rear glass window frantically, tears pouring out down his cheeks. I forced myself to look away and hit the gas and speeding forwards down the road towards the sleek black car and the white vans following closely behind it. I took a deep breath and pressed down harder on the gas pedal. I grabbed my ray gun and held it out the window and fired off a shot at the van trailing the car on the left, the laser flying through the windshield and taking out its driver, causing the van to swerve off the road into the desert and flipping onto its side. I did the same with the van on the right, swerving off to the right side of the road and firing off a shot but this time at its tire. All that was left was the black car. I felt all my anger build up as I thought about its driver. Korse. He was going to fucking pay for everything he's ever done to us or anyone else and it was going to be now. I slammed down on the gas and sped straight at him, neither of our cars swerving to avoid a collision. I closed my eyes when the noses of the cars touched and one image popped up into my head. Frank. 

[Atomic's P.O.V.]

There was an explosion. That was it, that was the end. That single sound that echoed in my mind over and over again, letting me know that he was dead. Party Poison was gone. Forever. I couldn't even look at Frank because everytime I did I saw the overwhelming sadness and heartbreak on his face. He had slammed his body against the van too many times to count, breaking his arm in the process. It had been four days since then. Four days since we watched the fireball fly up into the sky and leave a cloud of smoke in its trail. Four days since the Trans Am and its occupant were obliterated. Four days since Frank had spoken or moved. Four days since our lives all fell apart. I turned my head to my left to look out across the expanse of desert we had to call home. We were back at our shack, Mafia's and mine that is. It's all we had left. There was a figure standing up on the rocks, looking across the valley. I strode up alongside the masked figure and sighed. 

"You came back. Took you long enough." I whispered out, staring down at my feet, trying to hold myself together.

"I was dead Toni. The dead just don't miraculously come back to life." The familiar voice emanated from under the mask. 

"Take that stupid thing off." I grumbled and I heard the slide of plastic as she removed her mask. "Now what?" 

"We move on. Havent we always done that? There is still a city to save." I looked to her and nodded. 

"Alright…let's go, Crash."


End file.
